


Avenging Shadows

by Scarlet_Firesong123



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Author needs to get a regular updating schedule, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, I don't know why I made it so edgy, JK Levels of Dodging "said", Wolf Link (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 06:55:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 83,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16697563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlet_Firesong123/pseuds/Scarlet_Firesong123
Summary: Midna's first portal lands her in the wrong location, post-Winter Soldier New York. Thus destabilizes the timelines of both Earth and Hyrule. In a scramble to fix this new development, the Goddesses see fit to get some help from this new world, leading to a series of events which no one could have predicted. Flips POV





	1. Chapter 1

The night Midna lost everything, an unnatural storm appeared right above the castle. Pale green lightning flashed and flickered in her window, keeping her from rest as thunder roared its reply. A bolt struck the side of the palace, causing the whole structure to shudder. The crown princess sat up and leapt out of bed, nightclothes flapping around her as she fought against the shaking tower the royal bedroom stood in.

"Guards!" she shouted as she rummaged through her closet, changing into more appropriate clothes, "Guards!". Her only reply was the unrelenting lash of rain against the stained glass windowpane overlooking what looked like a war scene.

Midna gasped as she saw dark shapes littering the pavilion outside the castle walls, lit by pale fires the lightning had caused, as well as the larger figures of the royal guards running along the walls to protect the castle. She sprinted out into the hallways quickly, thankful for her thin flats as she stepped on sharp-edged rubble outside her door. There was a yawning hole in the side of the castle wall, granting her a brief glimpse of an unidentifiable flying creature that blended into the dark night. It screeched hoarsely, circling the besieged castle.

"Princess Midna!" The princess straightened her back and adopted a cooler expression as a young private stumbled around a corner, coated in dust. His detailed helmet denoted him as a royal guard, and concealed his features entirely, with only carved eyes to show her where to look him in the eyes.

"Yes, Private?" she asked, already knowing what he would ask of her.

"Princess, you must evacuate! It is too dangerous to stay here any longer. My Princess, I was sent to escort you to the safe room. The rest of my squadron will meet us in the hall, but we must hurry!"

Midna raised an eyebrow. Safe room? The castle did not have a safe room. It was fortified heavily enough to act as its own safe room. Regardless, she never really paid much attention to the workings of the castle, and a hidden safe room was not out of the question.

"Good. I was wondering when you all would arrive. Lead on, Private," she replied calmly, despite another shudder going through the hall. He nodded once, and turned and began walking back the way he had come. The princess followed him past three turns, down a flight of stairs, and out of the tower. However, she still had doubts in her mind about his trustworthiness. A lone guard coming to protect the most important member of the nobility? While he had promised that the rest of his garrison was waiting for them, why send the obvious newbie to pick up precious cargo? And why not just all come?

The castle rumbled again, more strongly this time, and Midna paused. The Private noticed this, and stopped as well. He motioned for her to continue with him.

"We should keep-" Suddenly, the whole wall exploded inwards, obscuring everything from sight directly in front of her. Midna was thrown diagonally into the wall hard enough to knock the wind out of her lungs. She coughed and gasped through the clearing dust, struggling painfully to her feet. The flickering light of the ornate lighting lit up new pile of wall covered the ornate rug directly in front of her. She could see an arm sticking out of the rubble. A sick feeling wormed its way into her stomach. Midna knew he was dead. And if she hadn't stopped for the tremor, she would be dead as well.

Lightning flickered briefly through the hole in the wall, illuminating the room more brightly than the inscribed markings did, showing her the silhouette of her attacker. It was a massive dragon with dark armor obscuring its face and body as well as attaching to the end of its tail. Sharp blades stuck out from its wings, reflecting the lightning coldly. The piece on the end of its tail attached to what looked like a small wrecking ball, and the wild flailing of its tail made the tool dance in the air. It hovered directly in front of her, and screamed into her face. She barely saw the purple insides of its mouth before she took off running as fast as she could away from the hole in the wall and away from the private's corpse. She heard it scream behind her, and suddenly the shadows in front of her deepened as fire licked at Midna's heels.

The princess ran through the nearest door, slamming it behind her as red-hot flame flashed behind the door's safety. She was panting hard from her brief run, missing one shoe, and the hem of her robes were torn. For these reasons, she became acutely self-aware when she noticed that the room she had run into was not deserted.

Five terrified-looking maids and five palace guards looked back at her with a mixture of shock and fear. Three of the guards dropped into a hasty bow, each with an echoing "my princess" while four of the maids lowered her head in respect and said "my lady". The rest continued to stand in place in surprise, averting their gaze respectfully. She stood up straighter and prouder. So they still respected her.

"Guards, the palace is under attack by some sort of dragon. There are holes in the outer wall and there are confirmed fatalities. I request a small guard that I may escape," Midna said calmly, just like when she'd talked to the deceased private. The guards snapped into a salute, marching to the door, taking their position around the doorframe. The maids simply went into different corners of the room, demurely folding their hands in their laps, looking like statues. There was minimal lighting in the room, which turned out to be the main-floor library. It was a large room covered wall-to-wall with bookshelves and sporadically decorated with chairs and desks.

When Midna was younger, she had enjoyed to ask her father and mother about the secret passages throughout the castle, and she knew that there was a trapdoor underneath the carpeting that led to the main passages, which lead to safe houses miles away from the palace that was loaded with supplies to feed the nobility of the palace. Unfortunately, Midna had never actually found the trapdoor in this room, and didn't know where to cut the carpet. She instructed one of the maids to roam the shelves and try to find it, and she crossed over to the window.

There was a massive window on the other side of the room, though it was enchanted to look exactly like the stone wall outside. The concealing effect was ruined, however, by a balcony installed about a hundred years ago. She didn't dare open the window and walk out onto the balcony, but she pulled the heavy curtains aside slightly, trying to guess at what was happening outside. There was a sudden tremor again, and the dragon flashed passed the window, dust trailing from its tail. She opened the curtain further, straining to see it again. The guards and soldiers outside were firing at it, through the armor protecting it seemingly couldn't be pierced.

Suddenly, the dragon swooped at a nearby collection of guards, blasting them with fire. Midna averted her eyes hastily, tearing up slightly. More lives lost.

"My lady?" one of the maids asked. The Twilight Princess turned around lazily to look at her, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she responded robotically, "I'm fine. The dragon…" Her throat burned suddenly, and she stopped herself before her voice could crack. The maid looked at her ruler sadly. She sighed quietly, turning back to the dragon's attack. The fires had been partially extinguished with magic, and a regrouping collection of soldiers hurled a volley of javelins at the dragon. As she'd expected, the javelins clattered off the thing's armor, but one of the soldiers pulled out his curved sword and swung at the dragon as it passed by, rather that dodging the wrecking ball on its tail. Midna almost laughed out loud from disbelief and shock as the sword became stuck in the chain, wrapping around the hilt and blade.

The soldier was lifted into the air, kicking and punching. The dragon screamed in outrage, whipping around in the air to rid itself of the soldier. The unfortunate Twilian wrapped his free hand around the chain to prevent his arm from being wrenched out of its socket.

"Oh my goddesses!" She jumped as one of the other maids appeared next to her, one hand flying to her mouth as Midna's own flew to her chest to calm her racing heart.

"Great Din, for the love of the golden ones, could you warn her next time you do that?" she hissed irritably. The maid had the sense to look apologetic.

"Ah! Dearest apologies, my Princess, I did not mean to startle you so! Forgive me" she said as she bowed low. Midna opened her mouth to say something in reply when she was cut off by the faint shriek of twisting metal. To the princess's absolute surprise, she found that the soldier that had been caught by the chain had been grabbed by his fellows, and were working together to tear the chain off of the dragon's tail. The dragon, too panicked to turn and blast the men with flame was beating its wings frantically to escape the men. The sound that had caught their attention was the wrenching noise that the topmost link of the silvery grey chain was emitting as it tore from its golden base. As some of the men worked to free their comrade, others beat at the dragon's back as it tried to escape. Finally, with a final squeal, the chain snapped free, and the wounded dragon shot back into the air with a final screech.

The men all shouted triumphantly as the dragon flew away, and the maid and a few of the guards joined them. While Midna did feel elated, she also couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Midna learned to trust her instincts after that night.

Because when the dust settled and the last fire went out, he came. The princess remained in the library for another few hours reading a few of the books as the five soldiers talked with other soldiers that had come looking for them. The sick feeling of dispersing adrenaline lingered for a long time and the soldiers and maids constantly checked up on her. She let one of the maids fix up her hair, which had been flowing loosely from her head for the better part of the night, and they had brought the ruler a change of clothes. Midna was almost ready to turn in for the night when another tremor shook the castle. she looked up from her book, deeply perturbed from her earlier experience.

Three of the maids gasped, as did one of the soldiers. All of the Twilians in the room jumped to their feet and raced to the window. To Midna's horror, a horde of monsters descended through a massive hole in the castle wall. Their shrieks and howls echoed through the hallways, not at all dampened by the hanging tapestries around the castle. She heard guards cry out as well.

"Guards! Barricade the doors! Someone get the maids to safety! And for the love of our ancestors, do not panic," Midna shouted to the guards, ushering them to action. They scrambled to their positions as one of the guards ushered the five maids out the door to somewhere down the hall. She readied some of her magic as the shouts got closer to the door.

"Alright, everybody, I don't want to see any cowards. Its show time!" The princess murmured quietly. Suddenly, the noise in the hall went silent. Some of the guards relaxed in confusion, when she picked up heavy footsteps on the carpet. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. They settled directly in front of the doors, and Midna motioned for everyone to step to the side. In dramatic style, the heavy double doors leading to the library imploded inwards in a hail of shards and splinters that could have hurt anyone standing directly in front. The leading figure walked languidly into the room as monsters surged around him. Almost immediately, Midna's guards were overwhelmed and dragged off. She fired bursts of magic at the horde, killing a few in severely injuring most, but they kept coming. The figure cocked its head at her, which she barely noticed from the corner of her eye, and hissed a command in a language Midna didn't pretend to recognize. The monsters departed quickly from the room, taking the bodies of the hapless guards with them.

The helmet of the figure retracted.

"Oh my goddesses…" she whimpered under her breath. Zant. He grinned horribly wide, flicking out twin swords from his sleeves with contemptuous ease. His eyes remained locked on her face. Without speaking a word, he charged at her

The first blade sailed towards Midna's face, and she twisted to the right, letting the sword pass harmlessly past her head, though she felt the wind of its passage. Its brother flickered in for a lethal stab, and she dodged again, blasting bright beams of offensive magic at their owner. He vaulted over her head, running along the tops of the bookshelves. Midna blasted more magic missiles at his sneering, stupid face, missing him as he preformed incredible gymnastics moves with unnatural flexibility. She chased him through the rows of books, firing at him as he rag-dolled and flipped around Midna's attacks, occasionally deflecting magic back at her He never was the best at offensive magic.

Finally, he simply jumped down off of a bookshelf, letting it fall on her She attempted to dodge the shelf, but was stuck in the middle of it. It fell, pinning her to the floor around the princess's middle. The air left her lungs powerfully, and she gasped and writhed like a fish on a hook. As Midna struggled against the weight of the bookshelf, he lazily charged a golden sphere of magic in the palm of his left hand, letting it grow and illuminate the room. Midna redoubled her efforts at escape, and writhed almost completely out of the shelf when he sent the energy in her direction. She tried to dodge, but she was still held down by her right leg, which took the brunt of the energy. Tears watered in her eyes as she struggled to breathe through the pain. Midna's leg and abdomen burned like a thousand swords had been thrust through them, though the blast freed her from the bookshelf.

Midna shakily stood, regaining her balance, when another blast aimed for her face made her leap to the side again. The giant glass window of the library exploded outwards, letting rain and wind in. Unthinkingly, she ran through the window to the balcony beyond, trapping herself in her haste to escape. Another ball of golden energy sailed through the air, destroying the railing and half of the balcony just to her right.

Run, RUN, RUN! Her mind screamed at her. She couldn't. Midna was in a corner, but her every instinct screamed at her to escape from the monster of a Twili that a close server to the royal family had become. His pale yellow eyes gleamed in the semi-darkness of the Twilight realm.

"There is nowhere that you can run, Princess." his slick, half-insane voice spat out Midna's title like it was an insult that disgraced his mouth. He continued the sick rant.

"Here you are, backed into a corner like an animal seeking escape from pest control. A do-nothing, cowardly royal huddled on her balcony, hiding. You were never fit to rule." he snarled. She subconsciously tried her best to look dignified and calm before the onslaught of chaos and terror before her.

"You aren't the true ruler, Zant. As the true heir of the Twilight Realm and its people, I can easily overpower you, usurper. I have the entire army at my beck and call!" Midna screamed back at him, failing to hide the fear in her voice. He laughed and she stood ready to fight the ghastly impersonation of the man she once knew.

"Oh? Is that so? Then tell me, true ruler of the Twilight, WHY AM I STRONGER TO THE POINT OF YOU HIDING BEHIND YOUR PATHETIC ROYAL GUARD?!" he screamed at her. As she backed off, fear no longer hidden, he laughed. It was brief, but shrill and giggling. He had crossed the line into madness a long time ago. Midna was backing away, hands outstretched, hiding.

"You are nothing. You are nothing compared to my power. You never would be. You never were meant to rule. You are but a useless, self-appointed, BIG WIG-" he stopped mid-yell, eyes glowing with a horrible light. His voice became like oil, sticky and slow and dark.

"Yessss... A big-headed princess like you, is nothing but an imp, correct?" His mouth twisted into a horrible mockery of a smile.

"No... You wouldn't..." Midna said, her normally cocky and sure voice camp out as a trembling whisper. She backed away further.

"Yes, YES I WOULD, IMP!" Zant screamed as his right arm raised, as if casting a spell for a brief second.

"...no, NO!" She yelled, as if she could convince him otherwise.

His arm remained hovering for a second longer, before a twisted version of a traditional mask of the Twili came down in parts over his face, completely obscuring it. His arm finally waved through the air like he was batting away a persistent annoyance, and she fell with like he had really hit her. Midna fell through the air in pain, like she was being crushed, but before she could scream, the pain stopped.

Midna opened her eyes, her point of view from much lower down. Her arm ached badly from where she had fallen on it, and she clutched it with her other hand, groaning in pain.

Wait, was that her hand?

The markings that normally cover her body like veins now seemed much more concentrated on her arms, becoming less common around her torso. Oh goddesses, she was tiny. Midna's belly was now a grey-white, with black covering her arms and back. Her fiery orange hair was now in a ponytail behind her, like hair but...not. Midna stared up in horror at the face that did the magic that no one should ever do.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" his laugh held only cruelty and joy in her suffering, "Are you so surprised at your new form? I told you your fate, and yet you seem rather surprised. Why is that? Am I not true to my word? Oh, then you are so pathetic. Thinking I had idle threats, useless." When he finished, he laughed again, a sound so cold and cruel that she shuddered.

But fear was replaced by rage. Midna had to wipe the smirk off of his face. Summoning some magic, she willed herself to attack blindly. His laughter never abated as he threw her off the balcony. Falling, falling into the black depths, Midna was unconscious before she hit the ground. He then turned to the towns, addressing a crowd that had been witness to his first act of terror.

"A useless and wasted try by your fake ruler! And behold! The new reign of Zant, King of the Twili! May my reign never be broken! EVER!" he turned back to his throne room, not noticing a small group of normal citizens of the twilight whisk the wounded imp from the ground on which she'd landed.

On Zant's way to the throne, he had to pass through the hall of relics. He had destroyed most of them whilst fighting the guards, but one remained untouched.

The Fused Shadow Helm. And he couldn't use them.

With a snarl, he broke the Helm into four pieces, sending them around the different corners of the worlds. He snarled to himself,

"Nothing! Never! No one can halt my rule! Zant, son of the banished and disgraced, will rule. And nothing, never, and no one can stop the Era of Twilight."


	2. Earth: 00:00 hours before contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers live domestically in the tower and nothing can stop me

In the few months after the Hydra takeover of SHIELD and the resulting chaos, none of the Avengers had time to really relax. As it stands, they did have a few moments to themselves.

After a particularly hard mission involving ex-Hydra agents and some sensitive information, as well as some events they will never speak of again, Iron Man, Captain America, and Hawkeye had a moment of quiet to themselves.

The June sun beat down on the busy city below, surprisingly hot even for the time of year. Though they had relegated themselves to the topmost levels of the Avengers tower, as the lower floors were public, the three kept mostly to themselves. Tony sat on the bar table, pouring himself some water and watching bad television while talking under his breath about the field trip some school had scheduled to tour the lower sections of the Tower. Above him, Barton had found a perch on a metal walkway that let him lie down while still feeling relatively cool.

The room had been made in the wreckage of the section Loki blasted a hole into, though was situated in the middle of the Tower, so there were no outside-facing windows. To compensate for the lack of natural light, Tony had installed a series of strategically placed lights to illuminate the room, though it remained slightly dim. It also had one small window on each side of the room, which opened to the room behind it, which showed the sky. It wasn't as large as most of the other rooms and seemed to be exclusively decorated with the innards of three separate thrift shops, an IKEA, and top-of-the-line electronics, then decorated by someone with a love of three-dimensional spaces. Basically, it was an eclectic eyesore which had modifications to fit all the operatives, including high-up spaces specifically for Clint. Tony downed the water like vodka, almost slipping off the narrow bar table, and called up to the archer,

"Hey, are you gonna watch like a normal person or are you just gonna sit up there?"

"You know me, Stark" Clint replied casually, as if he wasn't over twenty feet in the air and lying on a glorified bridge, "I like my distance."

"Alright, pigeon-man, your choice. Should I turn on the subtitles?" Stark asked, reaching for the remote.

"That would be appreciated," the archer said, turning onto his side to get a better view of the screen. They sat for a while, letting the soap opera drone on. After about an hour, Clint started getting really invested in the drama, at one point slamming his hand into the walkway with a wail as his favorite character got dumped by her boyfriend.

"Hey, Bird-man, careful. That's my stuff you're breaking," Tony warned. Judging by the half-hearted mutter, which was probably an apology, Clint didn't really care. They lapsed back into silence.

The day had been very difficult. Tony himself had been woken up very early, at least by his standards, to check out a lead on where Loki's scepter could have been. What they found was just a normal Hydra base, half-empty and lacking in any special equipment. Blowing that up had been fun, though the resulting headache had not. Thus, Tony was drinking water instead of alcohol, on Pepper's orders.

"Hey, any idea where Thor went?" Clint asked out of the blue. Stark thought for a moment.

"I think he's gone back to Asguard for a few days. I think he's still mourning his brother," he replied. Clint snorted.

"There's a snowball's chance in hell that he's dead" he called down.

Tony chuckled slightly as well, though still threw a pillow at the archer, "Let the guy have this. He braided a lock of Loki's hair into his own."

Clint's face appeared, wearing a delighted expression.

"No, you're joking."

"Right next to his face," Stark replied, gesturing with his finger.

"He stabbed him!" Clint crowed, nearing laughter. Tony shrugged.

"Wasn't the first time apparently. Thor would forgive someone for doing anything short of… actually I think Loki was responsible for a few deaths…"

"A lock of hair!" Clint's face disappeared as he rolled back over.

"Hey, you sticking around tonight or are you heading out?"

"I've got my own place. How's Cap?"

Tony grimaced. "He's still training, last I checked. JARVIS, how's Cap?"

A faint metallic voice answered his query.

"He is still in the gym, sir. Shall I add the last three bags to your tab?" Tony grimaced and fought the urge to pull out some of his real alcohol, settling instead on making three shots of scotch for himself and bringing those over to the couch.

"A hundred years old and he's still wrecking stuff."

Hawkeye, either surprisingly keen of hearing for someone legally deaf or perhaps only speaking his mind, butted in.

"He's doing well for an old-timer. I'll go check on him."

Clint stood up and cracked his back, stalking off down the metal walkway he was perched on. He passed through a door and was gone.

And so, Tony was left alone with a crappy soap opera. He took a shot of scotch and stretched out on an eyebleedingly orange couch, content to keep drinking. Maybe later he could fill out the fake blueprints for the next Iron Man model to see if any students were smart enough to pick up on it. He took another drink.

Thor was missing, probably exploring the nine realms or whatever it was he did, Banner was working with the remaining SHIELD scientists on rebuilding some of SHIELD's equipment and labs, and Natasha was… well, that was probably classified information.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was starting to feel stressed, himself. His job had been to basically provide bolstering funding to ensure that SHIELD got back on its feet properly, but other than that he, like Cap, hadn't been called much. Well, the Captain probably wasn't being called due to his role in bringing Hydra out of SHIELD. Tony had a feeling that there was something more to it, though he didn't want to pressure Steve to say anything he wanted to keep close to his chest. The past few months, Tony had noticed a certain… stress about him.

He should probably recommend a therapist, but that would be somewhat hypocritical of him.

Clint had also been showing up at the Tower less, both from SHIELD missions and for "personal reasons". It wasn't any of Tony's business, though he couldn't help but wonder.

Tony took another shot. That was his last one.

To distract himself from his thoughts, Tony picked up the remote and began flipping through channels. However, Clint chose that exact moment to reappear, dragging Captain Rogers through the door. When he noticed Tony changing the channel, Clint lunged for the remote, almost shoving Steve to the floor as he threw himself off the anachronistic man's perfect abs straight for the increasingly-aware-of-the-danger Iron Avenger.

Clint stopped his forward momentum, snatching the remote from Stark and retreating back up the walkway. He switched the channel back to the soap opera on his way up.

"Jesus, what's got him so possessive of his shitty shows?" Tony commented as he settled back into his previous position on the lurid orange mess of a couch. Steve shrugged but didn't say anything, instead choosing to sit on an adjacent chair in silence. Tony looked at him. Steve wasn't looking so great, with dark shadows under his eyes and a far-off, shut-down expression Tony recognized.

So they were back, watching shitty TV shows until someone was called away for a mission, or just left. Tony sighed but resigned himself to this fate. There was no way it would last, anyway.

Not fifteen minutes later, the sky darkened.

No, not like clouds finally came in to hide the glare of the sun, but actually blackened, localized in only one spot. Clint was the first to notice it. His perch on the walkway was right below the window. For a second, he didn't know what to do.

"Hey… uh, guys? Steve? Tony?" he said uncertainly, "You should come check this out."

Tony sat up slowly, though Steve's head only turned.

"What is it? See an interesting bird, Legolas?"

"Haha, no. Uh, I think SHIELD may have an issue with this…" Clint continued. His interest piqued, Tony eased himself off the couch and called for his AI.

"JARVIS, show the outside cameras for the… uh… wherever Barton's looking."

"Very good, sir," the voice came, changing the image on the television to the outside camera, where a black and green mass hung perfectly suspended right above the city. It looked like a mass of black tiles with a swirling vortex in the middle, leading to nowhere but infinity.

"JARVIS, can you run diagnostics from here?" asked Stark, already on the move to find the latest model of the suit. Clint and Steve similarly left the room almost before he spoke.

"I'm afraid not, sir. It's too far. I assume you'll be heading over to run scans manually?"

"JARVIS, really, what does it look like I'm doing? Get the… what mark are we on?" Tony was already in the elevator on his way to the designated launching point.

"I believe we are on mark forty-one, sir," came the slightly amused response. The elevator dinged and Stark jogged out, anticipation singing in his blood.

"Yeah, get that ready." The whir of machinery greeted him as he reached the launch. Blinking in the bright sun, Stark let the automatic arms apply the armor as he kept walking. He had just received the faceplate when a sudden notification stalled him.

"Sir, the sensors are picking up increased energy."

Sure enough, just as Tony was about to bite back a sharp reply, the portal turned red, swirled once more, and a small black shape appeared in the air, looking around once and speeding off into the depths of the city.

"Sir, Agent Romanoff is on her way," JARVIS suddenly spoke, bringing up a small diagram, "She and other agents will be here in ten minutes."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Sure, but I call dibs on the thing. Contact the others, we need a city-wide sweep."

He stepped off the platform, letting his thrusters take over before gravity. The chase was on.


	3. The Importance of Points of View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The random edge is strong with this one. You can tell I wrote this chapter when I was 12.  
> Also I chose to invent a language.

Something hurtled into the path before her. Midna had been walking for a while and her arm still hurt badly. Anyway, she jumped back with a startled yelp as the heated object made impact a few hundred yards from where she was walking. Quickly, she hurried to the fallen meteor that was still smoking. As the dust settled, she felt something strong flare in her chest.

Hope. Hope that she could make this out alive. Hope that she could someday return to her kingdom. Hope that she could get her vengeance. A nasty and sinister smile slowly crept up her lips, turning into a snaggle-toothed grin. She could kill him.

When the hunk of stone cooled, her hope shrank. The Fused Shadows Headpiece She'd hoped to have was but a broken fragment, useless without the other pieces. Quickly, Midna shook the sense of hopelessness from her mind. She could find the rest. Besides, there was power enough in the fragment to open a portal to a safer place, where she could rest.

The imp suddenly looked left and right, and snatched the piece from the ground as if someone else would try to take this feeble hope from her. The piece still felt warm in her arms, but not scorching. She slipped it onto her small head, the piece covering her left eye and setting just before her ears. Perfect. As her newfound power buzzed through her minute body, she felt her aching legs lift from the ground and fill with renewed energy. It felt wonderful.

Channeling the magic through her body and into the air in front of her, Midna focused on creating a small portal. It was hard work, and by the time she had a stable, and seemingly safe portal in front of her, she was sweating and drooping from exhaustion. Nevertheless, the exiled princess felt triumphant as she slipped through the swirling portal to what she hoped was safety.

It wasn't.

Almost instantly Midna was met by a feeling of absolute cold, like she was doused in ice water. A cacophony of unfamiliar noises came from seemingly all sides, followed by a blindingly bright light from everywhere. With the cold and the noise and the light came the feeling of fading, like she wasn't there. Instantly she saw why.

She was now a shade. And a shade is powerless.

She cursed, and looked about for a shelter or somewhere to hide from this harsh, painful light. Midna felt exposed in it, like she was in a whipping wind without proper protection. Soon, she spotted a good place to hide, a large tower that made the castle pale in comparison. And it had plenty of good places to shelter from this blistering light.

Goddesses, she felt like an insect, skittering in the dark.

As fast as she could, she zipped to the tower, hiding among its many shelters. It would have to act as sanctuary for now. As the adrenaline and the fear from her earlier rush wore off, she began to really look around her surroundings. Even from her hiding space, what she could see made her gasp.

The whole settlement was shining, made of metals and glass. Far below the imp's view, metal carriages moved by themselves, emitting a loud din. As she calmed down and stared at this magnificent city, she heard voices above and near her. On instinct, the shade crouched further into her sanctuary, but found it unnecessary. The voices were above her protective layer of metal. They were speaking in a slightly brutish language, and from their baritone she could tell they were male. The tones they were using also seemed like they were yelling or arguing with each other, but that could be the language.

So she'd come all this way to another prison where she'd be worse than helpless. This was just perfect. And the creatures were still yelling.

She sighed. If they wouldn't stop then she wouldn't be able to regain her energy through sleep. Curling in on herself, she found a comfortable position and closed her eyes. Soon, the noises of the city faded into a background, and she could focus on her own thoughts. What material Midna had on hand was limited, and this land may not have what she need. Out of the pan and into the fire. Just great.

~~~A Few Hours Later~~~

She didn't remember falling asleep, but awoke to a noise out of the ordinary. Nothing seeming familiar either. She looked around, until the memories of the previous hours came back to her. Still an ugly imp, still trapped, still hiding. Midna groaned to herself and stretched, pleased and dismayed to find that she felt refreshed but sore from sleeping on the metal. She lazily looked around, until the feeling of an empty and gurgling stomach alerted her of her hunger. Midna hadn't eaten for over twelve hours, not since she was still...

"Stop it." she said to herself, trying to stem the tears that made her vision swim. "You're here now, and you can't fix the past. Just get out of this mess."

She looked for something that seemed to have some nutritional value to it. Midna smacked herself in the head by a low-hanging bar of steel instead.

"Ouch!" Grumpily, she glared at the offending metal and rubbing the new bruise. Wait...wouldn't the headpiece protect her from some blow like that? She hastily checked around her, relieved to soon find it above where her head had rested. Midna looked out at the city again, jumping out of her platform as she secured her helmet again. As soon as she was in the brightness again, the shade began to tire. She had to hurry.

Suddenly, a breeze stirred the air, and with it came a delicious aroma of meat. Her stomach complained to her again and without a second thought she flew in that direction, hiding in the nooks and crannies of the graceful buildings around her. Midna soon found the place the scent was coming from, a vendor's shop with rotating sausages in a glass case. The creature looked bored, and that just made her job easier. She considered sneaking up behind him, but stopped when a large group of the things came walking up to the shop, bargaining and acquiring one sausage in a bun with different thick sauces between them. The group handed the vendor a bunch of greenish sheets and turned to go, taking the meat with them. Her stomach hurt even more as they ate not far away. Another thing discouraged her, the vendor was no longer as bored as he once was, and was twice as attentive.

She needed another plan, but what else could she do? At the moment, she was little more than shadow, unable to use magic other than in small bursts. Midna was snapped from her daydream by a snapping sound close to her. Instinctively, she dove for cover in the bush she was hiding in, hiding herself from sight. As the sound passed, she allowed herself a peek at her prize. The glass case was slightly open, and the scent was stronger than ever. Seeing her chance, she flew as fast as she could for one of the sausages, ripping it from the spit it was on. Seeing a dark blur race past him, the vendor let out a small yelp, alerting others of its kind to her presence. Seeing her window closing, she flew off as fast as she possibly could, gripping the sausage in her small hands. With her cover blown, she couldn't go back to the nook she'd used earlier. She had to find somewhere else, in that case.

Midna found a different gap in a building and zipped in to consume her treat. It was juicy, with a thin cover that broke as soon as she bit into it. As the juices started to drip, she could taste it.

It was the best thing she'd had all her life.

Scarfing it down as fast as she could, she felt full and happier than she had ever been, at least since she became princess for only a week.

"Stop. Stop. Don't think about that, your going to cry and make more trouble for yourself." Midna reprimanded herself. The shadow quickly looked around to see if anyone had heard her, and of course no one had. She was silent and invisible.

"Okay, coast seems clear, I think it may be time to head back." The yellow orb in the sky was starting to get lower, and remaining in its light had taken its toll. She had to sleep again already.

"...three...two...one...GO!" Midna sped out of her space, jumping from shadow to shadowed alley as fast as she could, moving in the direction of the graceful tower with the symbol on it. It took a little bit of time and she constantly thought that a creature would see her and shriek, but the escape stayed mercifully silent. Many times she could spot a large metal bird thing in the air, humming a throaty growl as it passed. Another time a red and gold colored animated set of armor flew above her in a slightly random pattern. This place is weird.

She had quite nearly made it to the tower when, by supreme obviousness that the goddesses hate her, the armor noticed her. Midna froze in fear, instinctively starting to make herself larger as she backed away. Wrong choice.

After no more than a moment, the armor flew as fast as it could at her, firing an electric net at her, which she barely dodged. As the air sizzled to her left, the armor continued to chase her. Midna gave a very un-princess-like squeak and moved as fast as she could away from it, but it was faster.

It fired three more un-electrified nets, two of which the nimble shade dodged. The third one caught her full in the back, and she fell with the extra weight onto a gravel roof. As she struggled with her bonds, she heard a deep thruuuuuuuummmmmmm and a whirrrrrrrrrrrr. Midna turned, and her eyes narrowed as she saw the metal contraption and a strange floating box with rotating blades on top. A bright light appeared on both of them, the harshness compared to the set sun without the moon blinded her for a few moments. Then she felt it.

The light burned.

It hurt like fire and ice together, and she thrashed all the harder as she felt her strength wane and vision dim. Midna barely registered two more crunches as two beings disembarked from the hovering metal bird. Harder and harder she struggled, and finally broke through the chord binding her. She was even halfway off the roof when she registered a dull whoosh. Midna turned, but could not avoid the sparking, outstretched net coming at her like a spider through the air, all limbs out for a shocking hug. It wrapped around her tightly, compressing her thin chest until it hurt to breath, as ropes cut into her as she struggled. And the rope sparked.

The shade lit up like a candle from the excess electricity, and it hurt. So, so so so so so so badly. Her mind couldn't function, the bright lights and thrumming fading into background. Oh goddesses the pain, make it stop, Make It Stop, MAKE IT STOP!

"Stop! It hurts, it hurts! Oh goddesses, please make it stop! ARRRRRRGGGGGGG!" The words left her lips before she could even think of stopping them, before changing into a pain-filled cry as the ropes electrocuted her with further energy. Then, the world faded. The pain left her, the brightness left her, and everything slipped into cold and numb. Like a river, she was washed away. No more pain, no more fear; the nothingness felt perfect.

()()()()()

The same thing, just from a different point of view.

()()()()()

Tony Stark, billionaire inventor and ex-weapons maker, had been hunting the city for the good part of the day because of the cycloptic paranoid SHEILD director jumping at shadows.

Literally.

The little shade had given many of the SHEILD board directors a heart attack, and they were quick to send in the cavalry. Namely, him. Oh, and many of the other Avengers. Tony made his rounds around where the imp was last spotted. Boring as hell.

"Anyone got anything yet?! Please tell me someone has a reading, 'cuz I'm really sick of running in circles!" he muttered half to himself into the intercom.

"Sorry Stark," came the clear voice of Steve Rogers, "I can't find any bogies. In fact, I'm having a hard time avoiding the civilian population." In fact, the voices of a million screaming adolescent girls came muffled over the speaker. Tony and Clint Barton sniggered.

"They're called fans, Capsicle. You get them in droves when you save them." was Tony's witty reply.

"Doesn't hurt that you're not to bad looking, there." Clint followed up. There was a slight pause.

"Okay, ditching the subject. Thank you, Clinton, for the left turn into Weirdville." Tony spoke over the comms.

"If you boys are done with your chattering, let's get back on duty. Fury won't be happy if he finds us slacking in a code yellow." Natasha Romanov's slightly bored voice left no room for argument.

"...Fine. But if I fall asleep, we all know who to blame." Stark sounded like a child.

"Heh. That's our Tony for you. The mentality of a four-year-old." Barton's voice was full of repressed humor. The team went silent for a long time. Half a minute later, Tony spoke up again.

"Anyone got a reading?" The entire rest of the team shared a groan.

"What was that about acting like a kid?" Rogers's voice was layered thick with sarcasm and good humor.

"Where's Banner?" Natasha piped up to change the subject before Tony had a say in it.

"I saw him last in the hover carrier's labs. Trying to find a way to separate and destroy carbon in carbon dioxide to get good oxygen." Steve spoke.

"Bad idea, it'll take a tremendous amount of energy to separate each atom, and more to destroy one. He's better off trying to make a machine that solidifies it into coal." Tony mused.

"You guys can talk all you want about science-y stuff, but I myself am better off just looking for a little shade." Clint said dryly.

"The day's almost up, guys. Like it or not, we're not very effective in the dark." Natasha noticed, pointing out her concern.

"Then we'd better hurry up and find this thing, I'd like to not find out the hard way if it has hostile intent." Steve said.

"...what if it's peaceful? What if it didn't mean to scare us?" Clint randomly piped up.

"Then shit. The most powerful people in the world want it in chains. Either way, it's not very fortunate." Stark replied, with significantly reduced enthusiasm. The team went silent again until Jarvis beeped.

"Sir," its tinny robotic voice spoke in a slight monotone, "Your armor is running out of energy and the thrusters are beginning to heat up dangerously." Tony sighed.

"Well guys, time to turn in. I'm going home." With that, he turned for the majestic tower.

"Jet's got the same problem. Low fuel and the cooling is starting to fail. Sorry I can't be of anymore help." After saying this, Natasha turned the massive jet back towards the renovating tower.

"I'm tired and it's getting dark. Stay out here as long as you like, Steve, I'm going to a soft bed. Hey Tony, can I catch a ride?" Clint asked.

"Sure, just be careful. My outer armor must be a million degrees after staying out in July's sun. Not to mention the thrusters." Tony replied, steering towards Hawkeye's location.

'Everyone's going to bed, so why not me?' thought Steve to himself, before declaring his exhaustion and running to the tower, followed closely by screaming fans. He was the only ground scout, as Natasha was in the jet and Clint was camping on the roof of a skyscraper. As such, he dealt with the women.

Something was tugging at the back of Tony's mind, so as he retrieved Clint, he made one last round. As he flew close to a series of office buildings, he did a double take. Right there, right in plain sight, was the little shadow. Three blocks from HQ. It quickly noticed him, however, and slowly backed up, hunching its shoulders and glaring balefully.

"Oh my...hooooolllllllyyyyyyy shit." he breathed into the comm, before letting out a loud, "DIBS!"

"Ow! What the hell, Stark?!" Natasha cried into her earpiece.

"FOUND IT! THREE BLOCKS FROM TOWER! I FOUND IT!" he practically screamed with pride.

"Wow. Natasha, gimme a lift!" Clint was eager to get a little action in.

"Which street?!" Steve didn't want to miss it.

"No time to explain, office buildings!" Stark sounded like he was in a wind tunnel. Even through the comms, everyone could hear him fire his new electrified nets. Also, the deep thrumming of a news helicopter. The press found it, too.

"Here, Clint!" Natasha said as she passed by Barton's position, letting him know to leap on. Which he did without hesitation.

"On our way!" Clint Barton said into his earpiece.

"I got it cornered!" Tony crowed as the sound of three nets being fired at the same time finished.

"I see your position! Coming in behind you, watch for the news chopper." Clint's eyes shone at the prospect of finishing the long job.

'This thing seems to hate light. I wonder...' Clint thought to himself, "Nat! Turn on the spotlight, I think it hates light!" Natasha gave him a look for using her nickname but turned on the spotlight. The effect was instantaneous. As it had been struggling against the rope, now it gave a terrible screech and thrashed harder. Quickly, Natasha set the jet down on the roof as the chopper followed suit, shining its own light to help. As Clint and Natasha stepped out to help, the imp broke its bonds and tried to escape.

"Still mine!" shouted Tony as he fired another, electrical, net at the fleeing figure. It turned, and he noticed it for the first time in that moment.

It was nothing more than a bipedal form with seemingly geometrical horns. The only thing that could be scary was the thing's red iris and yellow sclera. Its eyes were slowly opening wider in shock and... real fear.

All too soon the net hit it straight in the chest, sending it flying another few feet to the edge of the roof. The net wrapped around it securely, wrapping around its small and frail frame. To make it worse, this net was a late shocker. All the Avengers present could see the expressions clearly expressed on its shadowy face in the dying light, ranging from shock to fear and horror. Then the net sparked.

With such a small creature, the electricity comically lit up past the skin, through to the bones some moments. For a moment, it didn't react, but then its face contorted in agony. And it spoke for the first time.

"Si! Svr'eia-tou, TOU! Wo da'nem, hui taen ca'yo! Ca-AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGG!" Its echoing and flowing voice changed to a drawn-out scream as the electricity peaked, then mercifully went silent as it lost consciousness. For several seconds, no one spoke. Then Ironman weakly said,

"I need a drink. Let's go home." No one argued as Tony picked the unconscious shadow up, surprised at how heavy and solid it felt. Like a living being.

The rest of the night was sleepless and spent in silence, reminiscing over the last few minutes, when the creature undeniably cried out for mercy.

And it got none from earth's best. None.


	4. In Which Zant Breaks a Lot of Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I watched A:TLA a lot when I was younger, and it's so obvious.

Zant's day couldn't have been better. Not only had his master been pleased with his work, but he had made his army. An army that would strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. So what if he'd made it from his subjects? They were just puppets, and he held the strings. His main threat, the princess, was a week gone. Without her, the rest of the Twilian government and rebels quickly collapsed, leaving Zant to easily take over. Too easy. At the moment, Zant was taking a little "me time" for himself. He felt he deserved a break, as the new supreme ruler of the Twilian Empire, he felt it his right to do what he wished.

Goddesses, it felt good to be king.

Zant had called in two servant girls to give him a massage and wash his feet. A third was hand-feeding him delectable (and hard to grow) Starshade Ruby Raspberries. As the juices of a third, and particularly sweet, berry washed through his senses, all he could feel was bliss. Until his back molars grinded on something...out of place. Quickly, the Twilian Emperor spit out the offending seed and sat up. He thrust the miniscule seed into the poor servant's face.

"What's this?!" Zant roared.

"I-I-It's a... seed? sir?" the poor woman stuttered, the pupils of her eyes finding great interest in the ornate marbled floor of the king's chambers.

"Everyone can damn well see it's a seed! What's it doing in my personal fruit?!" he shrieked, getting into the woman's face, yanking her chin up so she was forced to look into his eyes. They were like looking into a shark's.

"I-I must-st have m-missed it when I was d-de-seeding the berries." she stuttered through her mostly shut mouth, eyes dilated in fear. Zant threw her to the marbled floor yelling,

"Missed it?! You left it there on purpose, you vile scum! You hoped I would choke, didn't you?!"

"I-I never meant to leave it in there! I'm sorry!" the servant girl looked up from the floor with tears in her eyes, sitting up on her palms, which were quickly becoming slick with a cold sweat. Zant stared down at the frightened Twilian coldly. He could see how her pupils dilated in fear, her breath came fast and uneven, and the tension in all her muscles; she was ready to flee for her life. And how he reveled in her fear.

"I will not allow an anarchist in my kingdom. Terrorists must be purged!" Zant's voice was low and deep and growling, like a lion ready to pounce on an unsuspecting gazelle. The girl's fear reached a crescendo.

"Let this be known from this day forward, anyone who makes an attempt on the king's life will be sent to the shadow beasts, and armed to fight against shadow beasts under the witness of the Twilian people. Should they survive as a gladiator, they would have proven themselves worthy to become part of my personal shadow beast guard or as a general in the new military." Zant had started walking slowly closer to the girl, arms swinging in loose sleeves. As he spoke, his voice became more and more shrill and maniacal, slowly revealing Zant's true nature as a crazed and ruthless dictator. The irony in his words went unspoken through the ranks of the other servants and guards in the room, though none dared to voice their own thoughts against the Twilian who'd bested the last of the descendants of powerful mages. The girl's gaze switched around the room, looking for assistance. No one dared to meet her gaze for a second.

"Do you hear me girl?!" None of the girl's feeble attempts at escape nor her heightened senses could tell what was to happen next. Zant picked her up by the throat and hoisted her to his height with ease, despite her being a relatively...large...Twilian female. He stared eye-to-eye into her panicked gaze.

"DO YOU?! HOW DARE YOU IGNORE YOUR KING!" he roared into her face when she didn't answer. She tried to make a sound, but her trachea was completely shut from his death-grip on her pale neck. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, desperately trying to answer. To get air.

"GUARDS! THROW HER TO THE DUNGEON TO AWAIT HER DEMISE!" Zant finally shouted, throwing his victim to the floor with a nasty crack. She shuddered and began to cough up a bit of blood, barely alive. Two guards scurried to lift the servant by the arms and half carry and half drag her down, down to the belly of the castle. Everyone else in the room stood stock-still until his shrieking voice pierced the silence.

"Don't stand there, go about your damn work! Hire another servant, one who is competent this time and continue your day!" Each member was jolted from their stupor and hastily set back to the work they were posted to do. Zant lay back down on the massage table as another Twilian continued where the unfortunate servant left off, begging to the goddesses that there would not be another seed in the berries.

~~~~This is a time skip, about a week later~~~~

Zant's castle stood nearly devoid of any life. In fits of rage and paranoia, he'd fired, killed, or watched be mutilated each servant and guard in the entire castle's vast expanse. In their place where magic hands that kept Sols away from the general populace. Why Sols? Well, their power could be used to fuel his next experiments, like the magic hands. He'd decided to call them Zant's hands. If he had anyone to assist. No, right now, Zant was completely alone with his own thoughts to keep him company.

"Why. Why? Why! WHY WON'T THEY ACCEPT I AM KING?!" Zant screamed into the echoing empty halls, "I am the rightful ruler! They should realize their "princess" would take the Twili as a whole nowhere but into the ground! If she'd ruled, there would be nothing done! Anarchy in the streets, invasions, death! I am a better and more worthy ruler, am I not? And yet, there I was. Advisor to the eldest of King Oblivin's daughters. She always got what she wanted, never me. Lucky little...GRAH!" Zant continued the rant more to himself, muttering.

"I will show them I am worthy. What to do? What to...! The army is large, yes, but our empire is too small! But what to conquer, where?" Zant continued to ponder what to do, but soon his thoughts drifted back, far back in time. And he knew what to do. And he laughed. In a fit of hysterics, he finished his idea. He would take the light realm which had been denied his ancestors. He would reclaim the land ten thousand years lost! They would love him. The Twili would worship him as a god among kings! He slowly crossed the room to the balcony to look out at the kingdom.

His kingdom. Soon to be a real empire. The light world would crumble into the shadows of his home.

His thoughts were dashed as he thought of a puzzling question. How would he cross the barrier the three most powerful deities in the universe set up to keep the Twili in? His previous fair mood was dashed in a millisecond. He fell to his knees and screeched, pounding his fists and head against the perfect marble floor. The balcony suddenly lit up, as if by a second sun. Zant looked up at the source of light.

It was exactly what he needed.

A head made of glowing sheer power, hovering right above the balcony rail. Its strength could be sensed from were Zant was kneeling.

A king doesn't kneel. Quickly, Zant stood, still looking awestruck at the powerful being before him. It smirked. Zant knew everything would be better for him.

...

"What you want, I shall want too." Those words bounced around Zant's mind as he raised his arms in preparation for his spell to open a portal to the land of light. His new master, Gannon, surveyed his work from behind Zant's eyes. He would guide the spell.

"Good, good. Now, pull your magic into your arms!" Zant did as he was told, and his master unleashed the power into the air before them. With a slightly metallic whirr rrr and a sound like breaking glass, a thin disk of blackness emerged into from Zant's fingertips, spinning like a penny on a tabletop. Then, it seemed to encounter a wall. The disk then stopped spinning, facing the Twilian usurper.

Before Zant's eyes, the dark disk sprouted geometric red vein-like magic strands that anchored it into the reality it was in, blackening the air further as it drained magic to keep itself stable. The original circle gained a three-dimensional spiral that petered off far into the depths of the spell. Zant lowered his arms, panting in exhaustion but savagely joyful, he turned to the beastly army behind him.

Each was a product of his own thought. The first row was composed of only Twilight Assassins, to act as a personal guard (he normally made them from his previous guard or survivors of the new law). Nasty creatures, they walked on two shorter back legs with normal Twilian feet with longer and more muscled hands. Their faces were composed of a flat, detailed gear with a taller tooth on top. The next few rows were Shadow Beasts. similar to the Assassins, but much more brutish and with feathery hairs on top of and bottom of a smaller, but more detailed, "face". These were his pride and joy.

The last few rows were comprised of random assortments of Stalfos, Lizalfos, slimy monsters which he hadn't cared to learn the name of, and inanimate statues brought to life by magic visible on their surfaces. Many more Lazalfos were in the air, as well as a few monstrous birds. It was an army Zant was proud of.

"Today, we shall take our rightful lands, and kill each and every light-dweller! Come to battle, my army!" Zant's short speech excited the blood-thirsty monstrosities as they raised weapons, claws, and different magic breaths into the air with a bone-chilling roar. They charged through the portal with bloodlust on their inferior minds.

~~~~This is a cut to the castle fight~~~~

ROOOOOOOOOUUUUUUHHHHHHHH!

It was the first sign of blood that day. Princess Zelda Aileen of Hyrule looked on at the carnage of the soldiers posted as guards. From the sky came a dark blemish on the sky, and soon after came all beings like from Hell itself. The creatures mercilessly ripped the guards to shreds, butchering almost a dozen of her majesty's finest in the blink of an eye. They continued the gory crusade all through the castle, killing guards and innocents who couldn't get out of the way fast enough. Swiftly, Zelda reached behind her throne to a hidden button, and pulled out the rapier which lay hidden in case of such an emergency. And there he was.

In a rush of shadow, the beastly monsters descended into the room like wasps, swiftly taking down guards and moving closer and closer to the throne. As they subdued the last guard not within a five-yard radius to the princess, their leader entered the room.

It was a bipedal figure wearing thick robes decorated with odd runes and geometric patterns like the portal outside. On where Zelda assumed its head would be it wore a fearsome metal mask with bulbous eyes. He only spoke a few words, but they rang with a final truth. Surrender, or let die each person in the castle as well as the town below. The guards looked to their leader in fear.

Zelda let the unused rapier in her hand clatter to the floor. Hyrule castle, once proud and great, had fallen to a great shadow. Only the Hero of Legend could save Hyrule from definite destruction.

~~~~~~~~

Link had long since given up hope. For the first few days, maybe a week, he had struggled to escape, earning himself nothing but beatings and lashings until his new coat was stained and mussed up. The chain around his foreleg remained as steadfast and strong as ever, likely due to a spell. The skin and fur around said chain, however, was furless and rubbed red and raw, looking rather like a plucked chicken. No one would guess that this beaten and broken wolf was the reincarnated Hero of Legend.

Link not only felt like crap, but the guards had limited his food and water so much that he looked half the size he once was, but bony and weak. His fur had started to fall out, and his breathing was raspy from his poor, dry, aching throat. Multiple times, about twice to three times, maybe four times a week, he'd been given a rat to eat as breakfast, lunch, and dinner until the next one he got. That was his food and water. As well as the only way to tell the passing of time as the world barely seemed to get lighter or darker anymore. No one could tell night from day. But even as he got thinner, so did the chain on his leg. Definitely magicked.

There were no doubts in Link's mind that the rest of Hyrule was in a similar, if not exact same condition at the moment, and that there was supposed to have been a change in the environment already. But still he rotted away in a cage with restricted movement, poor nutrition, and musty surroundings. He had no doubts he would die here if nothing changed. He would have died after the second week if not for his worries for the children of Ordon Village. But, as it will happen, poor-ending scenarios of their demises or other unfortunate events began to poison his thoughts of them. And so, the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, gave up hope.

Without his hope, Link knew he would let himself fade. He could already feel it getting harder not to give into the fear that this place seemed to radiate, crushing his soul. As much as he tried to fight it, eventually the effort would be too much, like fighting quicksand. He would soon let himself sink into the macabre and grim atmosphere the lighting made. Dark would conquer light, unlike every other story. This if it would happen. He couldn't let it, though. Not without a fight.

Shakily, Link stood, despite the tremendous effort it took not to wobble. He growled weakly at the darkness, staring into its ugly emptiness. He noticed every detail, the mold on the stone, the rustiness of the bars, the crates in the corner. And the chain on his leg. If only he could break the chain, it would only be too easy to escape. If only the damn chain would snap. If only it would break.

Link suddenly felt a wave of vertigo wash over his vision. His weak and unsteady legs paired with the lack of control and exhaustion were too much for the Hero. He tumbled to the floor, unconscious.

...~~~~This is a scene change from place to place~~~~...

Hyrule, by the end of the month, was in a state of complete shambles. The bulblins and bokoblins had looted the shops and homes, dragging furniture and possessions out and burning them in the streets. Rapidly, proud and humble towns and cities of all races had been reduced to broken husks of buildings set aglow by Twilight-resistant fire. Small wisps could be seen cowering in their shells, what was left of the inhabitants after the light was stolen from their guardians. The keening songs of the light spirits kept cities awake and alert.

Ordon Village was the last of these places to go. Just a week after the attack on Hyrule Castle, shadow beasts crept to the spring that was loved by the village, and ripped the light from the grip of the powerless spirit. As the village and surrounding forest faded to Twilight, the final thought the spirit had was, "Golden Goddesses, what has happened to this timeline to change it?".

The village's crops were smashed, and the village swordsman was lying sick from infection of the shadow beast's corrupted claws. The animals that lived and thrived in the village became violent, even the common fish and frogs, eventually succumbing to the madness the Twilight brought on and fled to the forests.

The village also mourned the losses of five of their children, Link included. All were presumed dead long ago, and the village lost their hope. Their children were dead.

If only they knew the truth.

...~~~~Yeah, yeah, Shyamalan disorder. Explaining and exposition. I had to do it. ~~~~...

Zant should have been the happiest man (or Twilian) alive that moment. As he sat on the ornate throne the princess once inhabited, he slowly sank into a somber mood. It was barely a month after his army had taken Hyrule castle, and everything had been too easy after that. Gannon had summoned more and more monsters to "keep them in line" as others had started to desert from boredom. The only ones that remained loyal were those that didn't have a mind of their own or didn't care for much violence.

The ones who stayed loyal were armos, beamos, spin traps, bubbles, Chuchu, Darknut, Skulltula and Skullwalltula, Stal creatures, and the Shadow Beasts. The rest left the Palaces and spread over Hyrule, good and bad for Zant. Bad because he didn't have an army anymore, good because places would be crawling with his minions. But he wouldn't be in full control.

The next thing that was making him sour was how easy taking over Hyrule turned out to be. They never kept a large standing force, and Zant's creatures easily took care of those who tried to fight them. Zant almost wanted the Hylians to rebel, just because he wanted to know whether or not the entire species were wimps! He couldn't even experiment with magic on them, because the entirety of the races of this new land had become magic intolerant! They would die before becoming an honorary member of his army!

But his worries didn't end at that. While sending out magic rays to find more powerful Hylians, Gorons, and Zora, one had found a rip in the time/space fabric of the universe. While it was already mending, and wouldn't be catastrophic, it had picked up the energy signal of one he knew all too well.

The Twilight Princess had survived. His throne was still in peril.

"Why? I thought I'd let you run, but no. You're probably trying to usurp me AREN'T YOU?" Zant shrieked into the darkness, "You still want the damn throne?! IT'S MINE, I WON'T LET YOU TAKE IT FROM ME! How to be rid of you, how to be rid of you?"

Zant pondered more silently this time until the answer came to him. He grinned from beneath his mast.

"Let's go visit the princess, shall we?"


	5. People are Asleep for Half of the Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naughty children get exposition.

Midna's dreams have never been the best at being subtle. Almost always, they mean something that will happen in the near future, if interpreted correctly. Her mother called it "the gift of prophecy", but that was a load of bull. Prophecy was subtle. Midna had a better name for her dreams.

A slap in the face from the goddesses.

This night was no different. It started with memories of a time when her family was together, and happy. It was from over twelve years ago, when she was just a child.

…..

"Momma, Momma, watch this!" a little six-year-old Midna shrieked. If you looked at her in the present day, you wouldn't recognize this little ball of joy was the fallen princess.

Bright red hair pulled back into a loose ponytail and a wide smile were her most prominent features, along with bright red irises and yellow sclera. Much of her skin was as pale as the moon, with geometric patterns the same greenish blue as the being she referred to as her mother.

"Dearie, please be careful!" her slightly paranoid mother exclaimed as she watched her youngest child tumble head-over-heels in a sloppy cartwheel that landed Midna on her back.

"Mom, I'm okay. But I landed on my feet yesterday! Why didn't it work now?" the young Twilian girl stared up at the graceful figure standing above her with a mixture of confusion and annoyance. Her mother lasted a full two seconds under the adorable pressure and pouting lip before sweeping the child off her feet and into her arms, causing little Midna to giggle. The Twilian Queen smiled as she hugged her squirming princess close.

"Life finds humor in changing the fates of expected men," Queen Achlys quoted from a famous Twilian book written by a long-dead author, "It changes the greatest of fortunes into the smallest of expenses; the highest king into the lowliest beggar. And it can just as easily change bad luck to good. To be the best in life, one must prepare for the most unexpected. Expect the tide to change, and build a sturdy boat. This is the difference between sinking and swimming." As she finished, she put Midna back onto her own two feet, who immediately began running through the flower meadow that the queen had walked into.

"Big brother, big brother! Come look at this flower I found!" the princess shouted suddenly. Present-day Midna's perspective suddenly shifted from first person through young Midna's eyes to a floating third-person that took in the full scene. It was Kaede Forest Park; easily recognizable by the dark purple maple leaves that dominated the forest in its entirety. The field was about twenty feet in diameter, and formed a rough semicircle around a shin dirt path. Midna used to come here every day as a child.

With her new perspective, Midna could see a second child on a rock all the way across the clearing, reading a book. At his sister's call, he looked up; and by doing so, Midna could see his face more clearly.

His face was youthful, not looking any older than eight despite being with dark red hair and a broad, flat nose. His mouth had two creases on each edge; which was formed into a cute "o" of curiosity. His face was just as pale as his sister and mother, but his exposed neck was the same dark color as sister's forearms, and crisscrossed with similar marks of the same color. His eyes, while not having a pupil like his mother and sister, faded from a pale orange iris and sclera to a pale yellow "pupil".

"Yes? What does it look like?" he called back to his sister, unwilling to take his gaze from his adventure book for long.

"You need to come see!" Midna shouted back, "It's big and purple and cool-looking!" Zant smiled and closed the book, sliding off the rock with a soft thump as he landed. Slowly jogging to his sister, he saw her kneeling close to a pale purple flower with one blue leaf and black thorns. Zant flipped through his pack he'd brought, and pulled out a small, thick book with the title, Plants of the Forests of Twilight. Turning the pages, he smiled and stopped at a page with a detailed picture of the rose, and displayed the page to his younger, more curious sister.

"This plant is called a Darkened Rose," Zant said, recalling the facts he'd read many years ago, "Apparently, when our ancestors came here, they brought many different plants from their home. The Twilight changed many of them into the domesticated plants we have today, but this one changed the least. All it really did was change its color schemes from red and green to purple, blue, and black. It's also called the New Life Flower, and is given to a loved one as a show of affection."

"That's soooooo sweet! Hey, how about we get some for Mommy, because we love her! I think they'd look very pretty in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom! Wanna help me pick a bouq...a bou…." Midna struggled with the word for a few seconds before her brother cut in.

"A bouquet?" he asked.

"Yeah! We can find flowers to go with it too! Those thorns look sharp….do you have any scissors?" Midna was practically bouncing with happiness. Zant chuckled, and dug around his pack until he came up with a gardener's clippers. He kneeled down and expertly snipped the rose's stem at an angle, trimming the thorns he could find as well. He handed the rose to Midna, who took it from him like she was handed a baby.

"Wow, big bro, you brought everything!"

"Knowing you, it was only a matter of time before you got bored of the Dayless Daisies." Zant said as he smiled.

"Wow… but one flower isn't enough," Midna said with childish determination, "Which other flowers should go with it?" The boy thought for a moment.

"I saw some blue flowers that would complement the rose's purple petals nicely, as well as some black. They were over here, and-" Midna wasn't the most patient, and the moment that she saw where the pretty flowers were, she grabbed her still-talking brother by the wrist and dragged him across the clearing to choose the flowers. After five minutes of picking, they had a sizable bouquet. Midna practically skipped back to her mother waving her half of the flowers.

"Momma, Momma, look what Zant and I put together!" she squealed, putting her half next to her brother's. Queen Achlys smiled when she saw the obvious centerpiece of the bouquet.

"It looks gorgeous. But look, the light is fading. Zant, Midna, pack up to go home." Her children's faces fell as they realized that their time in the field was at an end.

"Awwwww….do we have to go?" Midna asked almost tearfully. The face she was making, with her lower lip pouted and tears nearly in her eyes would have demolished the mental barriers of any lesser mortal; but the queen of the Twili wasn't a lesser mortal.

"No, and that is final. Co children. Say goodbye to the meadow." she said as she slowly herded her heirs onto the dirt path.

"Bye, bye, flowers. Sleep well." Midna sounded like she was about to cry. Zant quickly took up the slack.

"But when they wake, they will be fully re-energized to look beautiful tomorrow, right?" Midna perked up at that, and waved good-bye a final time before taking off down the road that lead back into the town, saying "Hi!" to every bowing and surprised Twilian she passed.

~~This is a time skip, same dream, just later in the day~~

"Mommy, do I have to go to sleep? Can't I stay with Big Bro and talk with the big people?" Midna whined (A/N, big people=government officials).

"No, dearie. You're going to have a big day tomorrow, and I think my little princess needs her sleep." The queen turned to leave before…

"WAIT! Can you tell me a bedtime story first? Please?" Midna asked pitifully. Achlys sighed, but turned back into her daughter's room.

"What would you like to hear? The Princess and the Immortal Rose? I know you like that one," her mother said.

"No! How about a new one? I'm old enough to hear one." Midna said matter-of-factly. Her mother quietly chuckled at her daughter's antics.

"All right, I know a good one you'd love to hear. It's called The Legend of the Blue-Eyed Beast. Remember, dear, it's not a faery tale like you're used to, it's a legend. I hope you're old enough for it." Midna's eyes became wide with sheer excitement as she wordlessly nodded her head as hard and fast as she could. Achlys laughed again.

"Well, this story begins a long, long time ago…" Achlys' voice became echo-y and distorted as Midna's dream began to change.

~~This is a scene change~~

Midna's vision returned to a scene that looked like a battlefield, bodies and blood everywhere. The air was thick with the scent of blood, the clanging of steel on steel, as well as the dying and agonized screams of the soldiers on both sides. And through it all, her mother's voice could be heard, still telling a child a bedtime story that had come to life in all its brutality. (A/N Achlys' voice is in bold)

"Once upon a time, two sides struggled for dominance over a land of light. They fought for their own control; our ancestors versus the current inhabitants. Back then, the land of Light was a fledgling empire, but a civil war broke the empire apart. Both sides struggled for many years, before the opposing side asked their gods for assistance."

The side wearing brighter armor suddenly shone brightly, and three divine figures appeared before them, and the dark figures shrank away from the light.

"Our ancestors, unable to face the wrath of the three goddesses, proposed to use the vessels of their power to reign victorious over the others…"

What Midna saw was horrible. The three figures, no longer bathed in the holy light, became three different animals. One was an orange wildcat with jagged stripes and sharp claws that took down man after poor man with brutal efficiency. It glowed with a bloody red light that flickered like fire.

The second became a great bird with a flattish face, its talons raking over the unprotected men from the air. The beast shone with a sky-blue light that held seemed to flow like water.

The third became a massive wolf with powerful jaws that ripped armor off the men's backs and snapped their necks like sticks. The aura around it was green, and shone the strongest constantly. Soon, Midna realized that the Divine Beasts didn't care what side the men were on, they just killed all who got too close to the gold triangles in the middle of the clearing, but they were slowly getting farther from what they were guarding.

As the trio fought, a small group of what she recognized to be roughly mages slipped from the rest, moving to the golden thing. As they approached, the middle area of the sacred power-the seemingly empty part- glowed with the radiance to match the golden triangles. One of them pulled out the Fused Shadows, which glowed darkly to match the golden triangles. Immediately, the three beasts appeared to weaken; and were quickly killed. Their blood coated the earth, and that began to darken in turn.

As the blackness emanating from the triangles spread, those who were once fighting turned to see them chanting, spreading and solidifying the darkness. Many charged in to stop the dark mages, but their attempts stopped as soon as they touched the darkness, either disappearing in a puff of smoke or becoming dark as well.

"Our ancestors won the day. For many years, we controlled the Triforce, and lived happily. But the Goddesses didn't take kindly to our use of their power to fight…"

Three shimmering balls of light suddenly appeared, all on the outskirts of the darkness. As they closed in, the darkness began to disappear into the countryside, tainting the flora and fauna. As the Lights reached the mages and their "allies", a portal was constructed, and the darkness was flung into it almost with contempt. As the portal sealed, a temple was constructed, and a mirror with dark stone erected.

"From then on, we lived here, in the darkness. And legend has it that a Divine Beast will lead us out of the dark to reclaim our homeland, and we will rule for all eternity in the Light of the Goddesses."

The mirror lit up, and darkness oozed out, tainting and corrupting. Suddenly, the darkness took her, too. It crept up Midna's legs, up her chest; covering the whole of her body. She felt like she was drowning, and began to thrash, squeezing her eyes shut tight. She felt like she was moving through molasses, but this molasses was trying to get in her mouth, her nose, her eyes.

And then the feeling stopped. Hesitantly, she opened one eye, then the other. Midna was in a dungeon cell, dark and grimy. In the cell before her was a wolf not unlike the one that had butchered so many back then. But this one looked starved, and had no holy aura of power.

It opened one eye to look straight at her, and her heart skipped a beat. This was the blue-eyed beast of legend. Despite the obvious pain, this wolf looked intelligent, almost eerily so. A bright light from the corner of her gaze stole her attention, and only grew brighter as she got closer.

A young light-dwelling girl in a white dress, looking no older than fourteen or fifteen, with long, dark hair held back into a braid and a shy, relaxed smile. Her eyes were a calm dark brown, but had heavy bags under them and held a spark of mischievousness. She wasn't thin, nor was she overly fat, but she still had a little bit of bulk. She held herself straight-backed, poised and regal like a princess. Her whole demeanor was open and welcoming, but blank at the same time like a bright but untouched canvas. What really drew Midna's attention was that at her side was her perfect replica in miniature… except wildly discolored.

The replica looked shiny, with black and purple skin, black and white hair in long braids, and a bell-shaped poncho in traditional Twili colors, except for gold script along the seams. Its lower face was hidden in the poncho's collar, drawing attention to the rest of it. Her eyes were solid silver with a single ring of black to locate its iris.

Midna knew this wasn't a normal light-dweller. Not if she was in her dream. She turned around, but there was nothing but blackness on all sides. The strange girl smiled.

"Hello. My name is Jennifer Aubry. At my side is my sister Chiku. You don't know us, but we know you, Midna. Don't look so surprised, your reputation precedes you." she said with a small chuckle that Midna heard often from her mother. Her tone sounded like a musical instrument played by a delicate and skilled hand.

"My name is Princess Midna of the Twilian race. I believe this is my dream, so excuse me for being startled. You certainly don't seem like anything I've ever dreamed about; neither does that thing for that matter." Midna replied spitefully. The replica at the girl's side bristled, and her brow furrowed, breaking the calm expression she wore. Jen continued in a tone very much unlike the one she used to greet the princess.

"Wow. Not even giving me a sentient title. I forgot how rude you were. Well, then, Princess Midna, if you don't want to be nice, then I won't either. So, why're you in my dream? Well, while I'm new at this time-bending dream magic, I was told I had to tell you that I would be helping you." Her voice held a bored tone, no longer musical and inviting. Midna raised her eyebrows in surprise.

The olive-skinned girl smirked, and with a snap of her fingers the white dress replaced with a loose shirt decorated with colorful stars that showed her freckled shoulders and shortened pants that ended halfway to her thighs. Her hair became a much more colorful array of light, held in braids over her shoulders. Her eyes became lighter, with purple spots in them to match her hair. The replica, having grown to match her original, looked quite smug. Midna simply stared in shock. She continued for her.

"What? What'd you expect? That wasn't my style. Besides, Chiku didn't like it, either." As she sat back in some invisible chair, her mimic, Chiku, stayed standing. "So, what can I do you for, Princess?" It was at this time Midna's brain started working again.

"How in the name of Majora did you do that?" she asked, flabbergasted at her disregard of her obligations to gravity. The copy made a sound like a snicker.

"Dreams. My dream, specifically. I can do anything. You know, you're a little slow for the future princess of the Twilight Realm." came the girl's blunt reply. Her hand made a lazy circle in the air as if to say 'And? Any more stupid questions?' Midna mentally kicked herself at sounding so stupid, her mouth hardening into a white-lipped line.

"If you aren't going to do anything but insult me then why am I here?" The former princess demanded irritably. Jennifer's face set into an expression best described as business mode.

"I'm here because the Big Three wanted me here. I'm supposed to help you with your throne problem; at least, my younger self is. I'm the one supposed to warn you about the crap you're about to go through." She leaned in close, elbows resting on a desk that appeared out of nowhere, along with a cloth chair. The replica leaned on the desk and rested its elbows. Midna sat down leisurely, leaning back slightly.

"Can you be a little bit more helpful? Maybe tell me what I'm supposed to do to avoid dying? Maybe the winning lottery number for next week, while you're at it." The older woman said sarcastically. Midna's chair promptly vanished and she fell to the floor with an undignified yelp. On the floor, Midna spotted the chair re-appear next to Jennifer, who gave a 'innocent' look as her replica -Chiku? - continued to snicker.

"I suppose this is my dream, after all," she muttered to herself before the chair popped back into existence under "And don't play smart with me. I'm here to help you, not the other way around. Do you want help or not?" She said slowly, like Midna hadn't understood the first time. The princess narrowed my eyes.

"No. I don't need your help. I can do this myself, without you or anyone else." She spoke in a low tone, parodying Jennifer's business mode. The replica growled deep in its throat, matching the tone of a dragon.

"And here I thought you said you were smart, Midna. I can make things much easier for you, so why the Sh'ii you acting like such an Aa's!?" The words that came out of her mouth sounded much rougher than the musical Hylian language Midna was used to, but she could tell she had called me something really insulting. Midna felt her anger rise.

"If you're here from the future to make my life easier, then why don't you just come to the real Majora-cursed world and actually do something worthwhile?!" The ruler of Twilight growled, rage bleeding into her calm(ish) tone.

"BECAUSE THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS! There's a lot of f'u about time-space balances that's preventing me from doing anything worthwhile! I'm just here to help! WHY CAN'T YOU ACCEPT THAT?!" she shrieked, eyes starting to gain a slight purple glow, which Jennifer Aubrey suppressed quickly. The table melted away, along with the black background, leaving them in a forested scene. "Look, what's wrong at the moment? I'm only here to help." She looked a hundred years old in that moment, rubbing her temples as if to ward off a headache. Midna calmed herself down as much as she could, and started from the beginning.

"My… friend and advisor, Zant, rebelled against me to gain the throne for his own. He thought that he had the right to rule because-" she hurried to find an acceptable excuse, "Because he was the son of a loyal nobleman, and my father sired no sons for an heir. He somehow became skilled enough in magic to overthrow me and turn me into an imp." Midna summarized, leaving out a few key points, such as her less-than-graceful flee from her own people. Her eyes narrowed slightly as if trying to find fault with the princess's story, before relaxing.

"Well, Midna, I can't say I didn't already know that, but I think I can help your situation. You're alright, I suppose. I can help you, just try to find me-my past me. Look for a girl with dark hair and dark blue eyes and a little more weight than what I have now. Like the illusion I met you with." She stood from the chair and turned to leave, Chiku melting into the darkness around them.

"Wait!" Midna cried suddenly as the girl was about five paces from the desk and the darkness at the edge of the dream threatened to swallow her, "Where can I find you? How on Farore's earth are you going to be able to help me?!"

The girl was less than pleased with the last part, but seemed to shrug off the comment.

"I have had some… skilled teachers. Don't worry, I can be really useful when I want to be." With that overly convoluted and confusing answer, she turned and vanished into the shadows, and Midna's dream began to dissipate before her sight.


	6. Midna has Yet Another Nightmare, Except It Got Cut.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hahhahaaaaaaa it's not even mostly Midna's chapter. Why's her name there, anyway?

Midna woke from the dream gently, and slowly opened her eyes...right into the harshest light she'd ever seen, rivaling the sun. It gave her a terrible sense of Deja-vu.

The shade closed her eyes quickly with a hiss, sitting up sharply. A wave of vertigo occurred almost instantly, forcing her back onto her back, clutching her head as her mind swam. The little girl from her dream, Jen and Chiku, said to go find her, but where was she?

With her eyes still closed, Hen tried to stand up, but the shade's wrists couldn't seem to get farther than about five inches from where she was sleeping. That wasn't right…

The shade opened her eyes carefully, letting them get used to the white light. As the glare dimmed down, she found herself in a grey room with a metal table and patterned walls. Across from her on the other side of the table was a simple-looking chair. Her wrists seemed to be held in glowing chains bound to a metal bench she was sleeping on. Definitely escape-proof.

On one wall was a massive mirror, the other hosted a simple metal door. Other than that, the room was bare; even the floor was a monochrome grey that matched the walls. Midna quickly became bored with looking around the room and began to test the chain, only to find them strong and unmovable.

The door suddenly swung open with a loud bang, startling her out of her activities. From the door walked one of the creatures She'd seen around their city, with a lack of hair except around its mouth and an eye patch over his left eye. It sat itself in the chair across from her and didn't say anything. For a few minutes that felt like hours, all it did was stare at her like it was trying to stare right through her. It became really, really awkward.

"Soooooo… what'dya want with me?" No answer. "Are you trying to kill me, or what?" No answer, but she tried again, "Helloooo? Are you going to do anything? At all? Or do you only stare?" No answer.

"Goddess dammit. I'm stuck with an idiot." the irritable princess muttered to herself. The creature's only response was to shift in its chair, still staring at her intently. She heaved a deep sigh to herself, extremely exasperated. Still no answer.

'I wonder if he's mute? Maybe deaf.' she thought to herself. Even with the missing eye, it didn't seem blind. Leaning forward as far as the shackles allowed, she snapped her fingers twice in quick succession to get his attention. STILL NO REACTION. HOW IN THE NAME OF THE GODDESSES IS HE DOING THIS! With an annoyed growl, Midna sat back on the bench and eyed him from the table's distance away.

After yet another few minutes of staring/glaring at each other, the brown-skinned creature took a deep breath...and spoke in that same freaking language Jennifer and those other creatures had used that she couldn't understand. Her eye twitched under the Fused Shadow piece she wore. If this was a freaking interrogation, this was going to be very one-sided for the both of them.

"How do I say this…. I. Don't. Speak. What. You. Speak." the imp said slowly, making large gestures to emphasize and translate what she was trying to say. All the creature did was raise an eyebrow. She groaned and slammed her head into the table, hard.

"Why me? What did I do to deserve this load of Cairbre poop. Urrrrrggggg….." (A/N "Cairbre" means chariot rider in Irish and is an animal I made up for the lack of horses and oxen in the Twilight realm. I imagine it looks vaguely like a mix between a horse and an ostrich)

Midna opted to remain like this for a while, wallowing in self pity. Finally, after about half an hour, her stomach finally gave in and gave a loud gurgle. Apparently, that was what the brown-skinned creature was waiting for, and it chuckled slightly. She scowled at him and her treacherous belly.

The being stood, leaving through the door (where else?) after a slight look back. Leaving her alone. Midna stared after it until it became clear he wouldn't be back anytime soon. She took stock of what she had to pass the time.

One useless Fused Shadow piece; check.

A pair of restraining manacles on her wrists; check.

One solid metal table; check.

One empty chair across the table; check.

One uncomfortable metal bench; check.

Four boring, grey walls; check.

One massive mirror; check.

One blinding light; check.

The imp looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like someone's living shadow, with her silhouette illuminated by the harsh indoor light. The only color on her are her yellow and red eyes. Other than that, she could be any one of the shadows in the room. She sighed to herself for the millionth time today.

One helpless, weak little imp; check.

Things aren't looking too bright for her.

~~~~This is a POV change~~~~

"Well, that could'a gone better," remarked Tony Stark from behind the one-way glass, leaning back on a swivel chair and sipping a beer straight from the bottle.

"We still don't know about what that thing's intentions are, nor do we know what on Earth that is," Steve Rogers groaned to the assembled group. Most of the other Avengers as well as some of the S.H.I.E.L.D. shrinks brought to the scene grunted in agreement.

Even without Director Fury in the interrogation room, the creature seemed fairly distressed. It looked around the room a few times, like it was trying to find another way out. Finally, its eyes stopped in front of the one-way glass.

All the people in the medium-sized room knew that it couldn't see them, so it was only looking at its own reflection. The only thing that the Avengers and assembled psychiatrists could focus on was its eyes. They seemed to glow, the iris red and sclera an unnatural shade of yellow.

When it turned its head away and laid back down on the metal bench provided for it, each person let out a breath they didn't know that they were holding.

When the shadow thing's breathing became even and regular, most of the Avengers and shrinks packed up and exited the room to take a break. When the flow of bodies stopped, only Bruce Banner and a petite young intern were left. Bruce's hands were knit together as he stared at the sleeping mystery species as the dark-skinned woman was finishing her notes. Silence lasted between the two with only the skrich-skratch of the pen she used to fill it until Bruce spoke.

"Did you ever get the feeling that this creature just as… questioning… as we were?" he asked quietly. The intern looked up and clicked her pen. She sighed gently but irritably, wrapping her long dark hair into a loose ponytail.

"Anyone with half a degree in psychology would figure that out, if we thought like rational creatures talking to another sentient being. But we don't pick up on emotions of what we view as animals. The attack last year doesn't help her case at all."

"Her?" the Avenger asked.

"I got that by how she snapped her equivalent to fingers in Director Fury's face to see if he was paying attention, Doctor Banner. Her behavior was very similar to how our species' women try to get the attention of their siblings, husbands, or offspring." the gifted intern stood to go, files in hand, "As I've said, she is a sentient being trying to communicate." As she turned to the door, Bruce got the chance to look at her properly.

Wavy, long, dark brown hair with a red feather adorning it framed a pretty face with hard, almost red eyes flecked with gold stared back at him. Her hands, clutching the files against her chest, had slender fingers with red painted nails adorned with an engagement ring and wedding ring. The S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform she wore clung to her toned body in a way that complimented her, without making her seem too sexy. She wore high heels, but they only gave her an inch or two of extra height. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Bruce was jealous of the lucky man to have this woman as his wife.

She began walking to the door, pausing in the doorframe.

"It was an honor to meet you, Doctor Banner." She turned back around.

"Wait!" Bruce cried, "I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you formally." The mystery woman turned back around with a small smile.

"My name's Doctor Val." Without another word, she left the room, leaving the alter ego of the Hulk confused.

'I've never heard of an intern named Val. I run through the lists regularly, and she's never been on the lists. Who is she really?"

~~~Time Skip, also POV change~~~

Doctor Val was deeply troubled. The imp wasn't supposed to even be on this planet, let alone be so far from the timeline she was home to. What had changed?

'Well, the only clue was the portal that she'd gone through to escape the Twili Zant, but in no futures does she come to here unaided. What has happened?'

She moved to the table she and her sisters had picked out and waited. Many of the other staff members on board were also taking a lunch break, and chatter had already become loud. Sitting at some of the other tables, the shrinks who'd been present at the hopeless interrogation were speaking with other staff; no doubt telling the others what had happened and voicing their hypothesis. Val smirked; all of them were destined to be wrong.

She heard footsteps behind her, and turned to find two women looking back at her, both sitting down across from her. One looked to be of Asian or mixed Caucasian descent, or perhaps neither at all, with long black hair dyed blue at the ends. Her sharp blue eyes shone with intelligence and her fingers tapped a rapid beat on the table, fingernails painted blue. She sat straight-backed, other hand folded neatly in her lap and chin held high.

The other seemed a mix of many, with deeply tanned skin and slightly almond eyes that seemed emerald green with a golden corona around her pupils. Her gold hair held both green feathers and natural brown highlights. Her nails, unlike the two, weren't painted, and were kept short. She also seemed to hold herself more comfortably that the blue woman.

"I see you've gone with similar ideas to your mortal designs. What did you decide to call yourselves? I'm Andra Wu." 'Andra' quickly caught the harsh stares her sisters gave her and changed into a kind of business mode. "So, what's the deal? We can't intervene too much more than we are now without damaging the timeline irreparably. Our Goddesses would have our heads if we ruined the Cycle."

"I think the imp was purposely pushed off course in her first attempt at a portal. She would be very inexperienced and without a destination in mind, she would be easy to push off course." the blue woman, always the wisest, voiced her hypothesis first. She also found herself looking into the wide-eyed stare of 'Andra'. She sighed, "And my name's Sophia Pallas."

"I agree with Sophia, but who could it be? No one can see through the time-space continuum like we can. It's only for immortals. And my name's Callen Val." 'Doctor Val' spoke in a near-whisper with those last few words. 'Andra' giggled a bit.

"So we all chose names translating to our respective Goddesses? Well, at least I'm not alone in my choices. Anyway, there is actually one other who has the might to do this." Andra whispered ominously. The other two gasped and paled visibly.

"You don't mean...?" Sophia asked, horrified.

"She does. It has to be Majora." Val spoke slowly, dreading the name.

"If he's rising... then the end of Hyrule is at hand without the Bearer of Courage to assist." Sophia looked to be on the verge of tears, her voice thick with distraught.

"My Goddess's Chosen Hero will be there to stop Majora. They always are. But still, we need to get the Twilian back to her home world. Should be simple." Andra said optimistically.

"How?" hissed Callen, "A portal appearing out of nowhere would spark fear in these humans. The Twili Princess wouldn't get within a hundred miles of the portal's reach. Hyrule would be invaded, and many killed. Then Majora will rise and kill whoever's left. Whichever way we act; things will not end well."

The trio stayed silent for a while, contemplating this terrible turn of events. Each could only see the bloody way that it would end if they chose the wrong path. 'Andra', being the most thoughtful on the better ways this could end, finally saw a way that wouldn't end with the price of blood.

"Sisters, remember when we peeked into the imp's dreams?" Andra whispered, as not to attract attention from a group of passing scientists talking about rifts through dimensions. They weren't totally correct, of course.

"Yes? What are you hinting at, sister?" Sophia was hopeful about the only idea the three had; even Callen was listening intently.

"Remember the girl that appeared? She spoke of a 'Big Three', and how they taught her, even when no hint was given of any powers like that? And the familiar powers we felt linking the dreams, too? She didn't even bat an eye when she heard 'magic'!" Andra continued, getting excited. Sophia's eyes lit up when she realized what her sister meant. The heavy dread that had settled over the group slowly began to lift as they found a small hope.

"Of course! This makes so much sense, now!" Sophia spoke breathlessly as she grasped the idea her sister had formulated.

"What? What is it? Please, share the wealth." Callen said half sarcastically.

"We were the teachers from that girl's dreams!" Andra and Sophia hissed in unison. Comprehension dawned on Callen's face and tension seemed to be released in her expression. Until another thought crossed her mind.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait…. you want me to teach a child? No, not gonna happen. I'm not stooping to that level. I am a respectable acolyte of Din herself, I'm not a teacher." Sophia and Andra frowned.

"Its either that, or the destruction of two civilizations and the death of billions of innocent creatures." Andra stated bluntly before Sophia could anger. Callen lost the indignant look and sighed in defeat.

"Fine. I'll do it, okay? But just to save those people. At least she sounded like a promising student." Andra smirked and Sophia looked almost dewy-eyed at the prospect of earning favor from her Goddess.

"Our work here is done. Let's go." Callen said huffily, eager to leave her restraining form.

Many hours later, a small group of people still swore that they saw three pretty interns simply stand up, walk to the door, and vanish as they stepped through the doorframe.

~~~This is a POV change, back to Midna~~~

More dreams. Damn, she was starting to hate them. Midna felt like she was flying, but she couldn't breathe. Suddenly her vision changed from pitch-black to blood red. In her peripheral vision, she barely made out the silhouettes of countless Twili, all with unique marks and eye colors ranging from light red to a dark yellow. Abruptly, they weren't in her peripheral, but in a loose crowd all around her. The princess recognized many of the guards, servants, and nursemaids in the crowd, plus a few extra.

Then, they all began to scream.

Midna clutched her head, squinting her eyes shut as the sound reverberated in her frail chest. When the din died down, she found herself opening her eyes to a nightmare. The background turned white, starkly contrasting the blood everywhere, and more coming from the many, many dead bodies lying around with savage slash marks on their torsos, legs, arms, and faces. Walking around them were dark beings that had a gear for a face and elongated arms. Red patterns adorned their bodies, showing them to be magical creatures. But the blood. On their 'hands', their feet from where they stepped, coating their faces and bodies. This was a massacre.

The blood had begun to pool around her feet, and in her reflection, she saw Zant's leering face. He killed them, and turned the rest into those beasts. The princess tried to leap back into the air, but the blood seemed to keep her down like cement. Slowly, the blood made its way up her feet, legs, chest...covering her face.

She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see. It was all blood.

Midna was coated in the blood of the people She'd left behind. Oh goddesses...so much blood…

Suddenly, it was gone, dissolved into dust. she sucked in a few shuddering breaths, looking around her at a scene that happened barely a few weeks before her fall.

Her father's funeral.

Fun.


	7. Aubrey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The OC you all probably weren't waiting for and yet I am excited to show y'all anyway.

It had been a really long day. Between school, family matters, and the actual portal that appeared in the sky, Jennifer Aubrey never really had time to herself. Though, without fail, at ten o'clock each night she found herself dead to the material plain.

And each night she came alive with a weapon in hand and an enemy in front of her.

"Dammit!" she shrieked to herself as she was nearly cooked to a crisp by the hovering Pyromancer Wizzrobe above her, only avoiding becoming bonfire fuel by rolling under a nearby tree. Unfortunately, that tree became smoking charcoal a second later.

She created for herself a scenario to test the upper limits of her fighting power, both with and without her magic. Tonight, she created a battlefield in the middle of the forest, with multiple hostile monsters running around trying to kill her.

"Whe he he! Stop running, girl! Let the flame of my soul consume us both!" the Wizzrobe laughed maniacally again for good measure, charging up a fire blast in its palms. The fighter knew she had about five seconds to kill him, or the suicide blast would kill them both. Well, not really, but she didn't feel like waking up at stupid o'clock in the morning. Fortunately, she had killed the thing's allies, so he was the last threat.

Jennifer leapt out from behind the destroyed tree, raising her favorite enchanted (did the runes herself!) yari in a wide arc, using it as a jump pole to give herself more height. The damned monster never saw her attack until her weapon sliced through his spell-strengthened robes like butter, slicing him neatly through the face. He dissolved into a fine black mist and some scraps of magic as she landed, weapon in hand. The spear woman was panting hard, sweat coming off her in droves, but she had gone against a medium of stronger offensive magic and won. Well, survived while the other guy didn't, anyway.

Still a great feat of notable proportions. The scene she was training in, a dense forest with little space between trees, melted away into nothing as she flipped her yari into the air like a coin, watching it melt back into the familiar shape of Chiku, the resident spirit of her weapon.

"Hey! Jen! That was amazing! I think that was a personal record, right there! I think that's cause to celebrate! Can I have a sweet to celebrate? Please?" came a ridiculously hyper voice from around where Chiku was hovering, her small frame glistening rainbow colors in the pale lighting of what they'd come to call The Between. Chiku was a long-time companion of Jen's, coming from a different side of her personality. Chiku was a brightly colored spirit, with blues and teals as the majority of her color scheme. She was also about half Jen's height and wore a clasped cape with a scarf which closed over her mouth. Jen had named her "Chiku" because it was the Swahili name for "she who talks". Fitting, since she never seemed to shut her mouth.

"Fine, Kuku. You can." Jen said in a low tone as she imagined a small cake appearing. As this was nothing more than an extremely lucid dream, she could affect this mindscape however she wanted, except for when she was training. Aubrey could even give cake to alternate personalities. The treat appeared at her feet after a moment of concentrating.

"Yay!" Chiku squealed, diving face first into the sweet.

"I swear, someday her clothes will become so sugary and sticky, flies will get stuck in them," Jen thought to herself. She turned away from the image of her yari-replica pigging out on cake, and focused on re-creating another training sequence. Chiku noticed quickly too, however.

"Awww. Must we do that again so soon? C'mon, you need a breather. You'll run yourself into the ground!" For once, she was serious (as close to serious as she could be). She wrapped her arms around her feet as Jen tried to move, successfully making her fall on her ass. She quickly followed up by wrapping around her shoulders, cake completely forgotten on the 'floor'.

"Doctor Chiku is prescribing a few minutes of rest before you go fight a boss monster, or some magically charged demon or something. Just stay here. You need real sleep for once." As much as Jen tried to protest, something in Chiku's tone made it seem like a really good idea to just stay there.

"Damn you, Kuku. I needed to … to train before... Screw it," she murmured to herself as the iron-willed girl lost her grip on the dreamscape, letting the inner workings of her mind do what was needed to get her to shut down.

….

It took a while, but she was able to rise from her dreamless state before dawn came. She sat up in the blank Between, startling Chiku off her chest.

"Eep!" she shrieked, "You shouldn't be up so early! It's not healthy for anybody here." Jen simply shrugged, looking around and enjoying how refreshed she felt.

"I had a feeling I was needed for something," she fibbed, trying not to worry her imaginary weapon, "I'm still technically asleep." Before Chiku could follow up on her words, or even pout, the 'ground' of the Between rippled not unlike ripples on a pond, kicking up a glowing drop. As it fell back down, the light it held spread around in a small circle, which rose up in a column of pure light. When the light faded, three majestic figures appeared. She grinned.

"Teacher! Sensei! Master!" she shouted, and not just because she technically wasn't lying anymore. Each looked unique from their sisters. The one in the middle seemed to flicker like a candle's flame and her hair, makeup, nails, and clothing all reflected that. The one to her left (Jen's right) flowed like water and her color was blue. The last one stayed solid and displayed lots and lots of green. She green one smiled.

"Jennifer! My young Padawan! How are you today?" She and Master called each other that because when she'd first met her, she thought her hair looked like the blade of a Lightsaber (she was young, okay? Shiny dark green equaled lightsaber to her.). Things snowballed from there, especially since Farore's acolyte had never given her a name to use, and Jen was granted the title 'Padawan'.

Jen was fully prepared to answer with a 'Same as ever', but Teacher- Nayru's acolyte- spoke up first.

"Master Acolyte, this isn't the time for pleasantries. Student, there is much you need to learn before you wake this morning. It will o-" She was cut off by yours truly.

"Teacher, as you've told me very often in your lessons, you are a follower of the Goddess who created the world, maybe more than one; can't you or your sister manipulate time or something?" she pointed out. Teacher looked at a loss for words as her sisters snickered and did just what she suggested.

"That's why you're my favorite student, kid. Very few creatures have the nerve to correct their teacher, much less a Divine." Sensei said proudly. Jen smiled briefly in spite of herself, pleased to have made the passionate follower of the Goddess of Power proud to call her her student. Nayru's aide scowled.

"Now, as I was trying to say, the world is in dire peril an-" Yet again, she was cut off, this time by Sensei.

"The world's gonna end because of an evil god who we suspect of sending a Twilian here to alter the timeline and create enough chaos to free himself and finish wrecking Hyrule." She stated bluntly, earning a punch in the shoulder from both Teacher and Master. "What? That's what's happening!" Jen thought over the news.

"Can't say I'm very surprised. I mean, I don't think that three extraterrestrial Divine beings who created a world would choose a girl from a rich family to-" she cut herself off as another idea dawned on her. "Wait, do you have any more information to share?" Jen changed her tone to be more interrogative and accusing. Teacher didn't react, but Master and Sensei looked a bit awkward.

"Well…" Master started, shuffling her feet.

"You know Majora?" Sensei asked seriously. Jen nodded. Of course she knew him. He was literally the primordial essence of the void. The Goddesses fought him constantly to keep the Worlds safe.

"He's got a hand in this." Sensei finished. Jen gaped. Demise was one thing, but Majora himself stepping in to cause havoc? That was like a mountain taking offense to ants, there was no reason he would do that! Jen must have become much paler, as Sensei sighed.

"Look, we were going to tell you sooner, but we couldn't find the right time," she said, "But your destiny is coming faster than any of us anticipated, and it is high time you heard the Story of the Universe. You need to know the whole tale."

"No, she isn't! What are you going on about? She needs more time!" Teacher butted in.

"The flame acolyte is right, water spirit, our student needs to know more about the situation!" Master argued. Sensei looked smug, only irritating Teacher more. The situation quickly devolved into petty fighting between the three powerful spirits, which Jen really wasn't in the mood to regulate.

"STOP IT!" Jen shouted. All three spirits looked at her. She continued, "Look, I know you three will tell me eventually, but you said it yourself. I'm seventeen, I am an adult in the eyes of Hyrule law, and more than that, I need training and information you can provide. I know you don't like it, but you can't push this off now, right? So just tell me already, please." she said, somewhat exasperated, walking up to them and sitting down, ready for the story.

"Fine." Teacher growled. The other two sat down in front of her, and Jen let Chiku curl up in her lap with a tired sigh. "Well, the story began many countless eons ago, when Majora was All, and All was Majora…" She sat through the entire story of the Goddess's birth from the primordial chaos of Majroa, the First Cycle which ended Life, the Split of the One Goddess into her three parts to save the new world, the First War and Demise's birth to bring down what the Goddesses had created, the tale of the Hero of the Skies and the later heroes, and even when they peeked into Princess Midna's dreams; all leading up to her place at the moment.

"Oh...oh my god" Chiku managed to whisper when they finished. All of them were quiet.

"There's a little bit of hope, though." Master whispered optimistically, "There's you." The spear-fighter froze with shock.

"What? What would I be able to do? Die the fastest? Maybe be the bait for a monster." Jen said self-deprecatingly. She and Chiku gave similar strained chuckles, "Let's face it, I'm useless in the real world." The golden acolytes looked at each other, making a silent decision.

"What if we could transfer your magic from this realm to yours?" Sensei said gently. Jen's lips set a thin line on her mouth. Chiku again spoke for her.

"No. No. Find somebody else, please. I don't think I'm ready for this at all. Not me, not ever." As Chiku spoke, Jen stood up, backing away as a nervous chuckle escaped her lips. Jen's resolve for dignity broke when Sensei took an angry step forwards, and she bolted from the dream as fast as she could, pinching herself to wake up. Jen had one last look at their faces; all hurt or angry.

As the girl opened her eyes to find the darkness of her room, all she could think about were scenarios where she would fail. She couldn't get back to sleep until her alarm rang in the morning.

{[:]}

"Good morning, Papa." Jennifer said respectfully to the head of the family as he stalked into the dining room. Even at seven fifteen precisely in the mourning, he came down the stairs. He wore an immaculate and sharp business suit with his blond-streaked-grey hair combed perfectly into place, presenting a striking contrast to his amazingly dark blue eyes. He didn't even acknowledge the welcome as he sat at his seat at the long dining hall meant for up to a dozen people. Johnathan Robert Aubry looked as impassive and uncaring as any stereotypical boss of a multi-billion-dollar corporation, and as the CEO of the Martin-Killenger Bank, that was exactly who he was.

"Dear, could you pass the salt?" Her "mother", Mary Sue Aubry asked from her place all the way at the end of the table. Her black hair was perfectly coiffed and hung in glossy waves down her face, framing a thin figure that many were jealous of. That figure had earned her an acting job many years ago, and to this day people marveled at her skill and beauty.

Her father waved his hand idly and a maid placed twin shakers containing salt and pepper in front of her mother, picking up the salt and allowing a small amount to fall onto the perfect sunny-side up eggs. Jen sat between her mother and father in the middle of the table, watching the whole formal occasion without feeling. Everything in this family was practically staged, so eventually she only pretended to feel. Well, maybe not this, but have you seen how public their family outings are?

The house in New York city was really new; barely a few months old. Guess why. It was a wooden fish-bowl that was all angles located just on the outskirts of the destruction caused by the invasion half a year ago. It resided in a really nice suburban neighborhood with a lot of other really rich people who loved to talk with her mother about very interesting topics like taxes and the stock market and all sorts of adult stuff she had to sit through. It featured two small pools and a larger one, one hot tub, a few TVs, a bar, and a large office as its most prominent features. Modern house, nice neighborhood, perfect neighbors. A respectable house for a respectable family.

"Vera? Darling, what will you be doing in school today?" Mother's voice broke the silence quickly. Her sister, sitting at her left to be closer to Father, straightened her back and set her fork down daintily. She was the mirror image of her mother, but with her father's startling blue eyes and long, delicate fingers. She took a deep breath.

"As you know, today is the last day of Fall Finals and then the Senior Ball. Everyone will be there." Her voice sounded like a chorus of angels singing with bells in harmony. Everything about her was perfect and skilled and sugary sweet. It made her jealous that she could be so perfect, but at the same time Jen wanted to scream. The Ball she was talking about was mostly for the Freshmen and Seniors as a ceremony, but Mom and Dad wanted (needed) her to go (mostly for her sister, as Zach wasn't even in high school yet).

"And you, dear?" she asked, turning to her. Jen shrugged.

"Not much. Last day of finals for Sophomores, and the Ball is after that. I have finals in math and technology." She didn't try sound formal and sincere like her sister, but even if she wanted to, she knew her Mom wouldn't care. Her mother's smile became slightly more forced before she turned to her little brother. She hated her, but for a good reason. She wasn't her real mother, but the fact was kept from the public to save her father the embarrassment.

"Zachary? What are you doing for the last day of school?" her smile remained forced. She only ever had eyes for Vera or Zach, both of whom were important for business. Her brother looked up from his 3DS. He had hazel eyes and curly brown hair that was just beginning to darken. He was slightly overweight, but not by much. He had the same sleepy neutral expression as his half-sister did.

"Huh? School? Mom, I have break! I don't have to do anything for another week!" he sounded disinterested, quickly turning back to the game, much to his mother's displeasure.

"Zachary, you know playing that thing is against the rules!" she spoke sternly but matronly. Jen fidgeted nervously with her pink dress and curly hair. The necessary conversations were over, and she really wanted to leave.

"Zach, listen to your mother." Her father's bored voice came from her left, his nose buried in the morning's paper. The only sound was her brother's fingers on his game consul's keys, the music playing from the game, and the metal clock's ticking telling her how long it was since she last took a breath. To keep calm, Jennifer Aubrey focused on the tinny music, wondering what game he was playing as she watched the clock monitor the time.

"Zach, please." Mary Sue Aubry's voice sounded nearly whiny. Regardless, there was nothing she would do. Zach put the DS away with a huff. The silence at the table was deafening without the music from Zach's game. The spear fighter looked at the clock, wondering if it was too soon to leave for school. While it was only seven twenty, it would take her a good half hour to get to Ruben Miller High School, and she would still have to waste another half hour to have a good excuse to get to class.

"Mom, are you going to be at the School Ball?" Vera's perfect cadence shattered the silence. Mom laughed lightly, as if she had said a mildly funny joke.

"Perhaps, dear. I have an important meeting at ten, and it might run late." Mom didn't have to work while dad's job provided for us. It was seven twenty-four and silence reigned again.

"Dear, what are you doing today?" Mother asked Father. He looked up from the paper. The topic of business was one that her dad was always happy to talk about, at any time or any place.

"Today is actually a good day for us. Stark Industries is offering to start a joint project with us. Supposedly it will be highly profitable, if all goes well." Jen looked up from ripping apart her sausages at the mention of the company run by her idol. Father's strong voice projected easily in the large room, a trait picked up from a lifetime of public speaking.

"How wonderful!" her mother chirped, looking remarkably similar to a puppy trying to please its owner. Her hands were clasped together by her cheek and she had this foreign smile on her face. Seven thirty-two. Finished with her breakfast, she stood up.

"Mom, Dad, may I please be excused from the table?" she asked, picking up her plate.

"Hm? Oh, yes you may, sweetie." Mother answered, but her daughter was already halfway out the doorway.

"Where's my flipping bag?" she muttered to herself as she turned her room upside-down to find her stuff, "There!" There wasn't much in the bag, so she shoved in a pair of jeans, an undershirt and a blue flannel shirt as well as her galaxy converse, a hairbrush, and a makeup kit alongside her math and tech folders and books. Hen checked her reflection in the mirror, as was habitual for her.

Jen had straightened her frizzy dark hair into waves held back in a simple black headband that framed her round features nicely. Dark red lipstick and plenty of blush along with pink eyeshadow and blue eyeliner finished off her face. The strapless corset and short pink skirt of the dress with the thick black belt to hide her stomach made her look uneven, and made her feel slightly suffocated. She loosened it a tad and sighed in relief as she breathed easily.

Jen had wanted a blue and purple dress to compliment her naturally dark hair, but her mom had forbidden it, and forced this monstrosity upon her. She had even dyed her hair a much lighter color and made her wear lighter foundation. She thought she looked either sick or like a mime. Jennifer fixed her hair for the last time and put on the high heels that made her look just almost tall, instead of petite, and put on pink rose earrings. She practiced a smile until she looked natural (ish), picking up her backpack and setting out with an unanswered cry of, "Bye, everyone! Off to school!" Seven forty.


	8. The Obligatory Filler Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything starts coming together. Except not yet.  
> Also the author is clearly not from New York and I am sorry.

The walk to Middleman High School (yes, that was its name) remained uneventful, even with all the commotion over the Twilian's sudden appearance. She could see Stark Tower's glittering sides from the school; it was only three city blocks from the gates. When she walked through the front gates to school, everyone was already there with their friends in groups, chatting about what they would do over the break and showing off what they decided to wear for the day. The student gazed over the relatively small crowd until she spotted a familiar dark-skinned face, and sat by him. His face broke out into the first real smile She'd seen since school the day before last.

"Jennifer! Jen, girl. How are you? Oh my god! Last day of the finals! The Ball! Wait, what are you wearing? What did you do with your hair?" Sophomore George Ridley tilted her head a little to examine the style as he said the last words. He wore a wrinkled bluish collared shirt and a red tie with dress slacks, and she could see a black formal jacket lying off to the side. His favorite sneakers and his bright blue socks clashed with his formal attire.

He had an eye for fashion (although he rarely followed it) that had drawn them together, despite being in different grades, and they loved to draw different dresses and outfits together. He had also noticed how terribly fake she looked.

"My mother picked it out for me and changed my hair color to fit it better. Like it?" Jen smiled playfully, and he made a face. She snickered at how his face scrunched up, making his wide nostrils flare, "Me neither. I brought a change of clothes, though. Thank god." She opened her pack a little, showing the clothing items to him. He smiled approvingly.

"Guys! You know can't get anything started without me!" a girl's voice said off to her immediate left. The dark-haired girl smiled lopsidedly and faced her other friend.

"Olivia! How'd you find us?" George asked with a huge grin.

"That damned dress is like a pink M&M in a field of chocolate chips! Jeez, please tell me that you didn't choose that willingly!" Olivia Fields looked stunning in a toga-style green dress with a belt that fit her tanned skin and almond eyes with minimal makeup. Her streaked dark brown hair was pinched skillfully into a braid-bun and decorated with thin gold chains that caught the light playfully.

"My mom made me choose it. It really looks like something Sarah would wear, doesn't it?" They all shuddered at the mention of their hated enemy's name.

"Oh look! It's the school dorks!" an annoyingly sweet voice called out from the opposite side of the front lawn.

"Sorry, guys. I jinxed it." Jen muttered, just loud enough for them to hear. Olivia looked like she'd touched the school toilets, and George's lip was curled in disgust and dismay.

"Very creative, jerk!" George's fists and teeth clenched as he prepared to fight. Sarah Conley and her band of silicone dolls stood posed as if this was a movie. Jen narrowed her eyes at a particularly offensive decorative purse sported by the girl to Sarah's left.

"Ha! As if you could come up with a better comeback, scarecrow." Her 'friends' laughed giddily at her 'joke'. His height was a really sore subject for George, as the way he towered over others but remained extremely thin unnerved most people.

"Shut up, Barbie!" Olivia yelled back. To her left, Jennifer snickered harshly. Sarah's reply was to walk over in her stiletto high heels and slap her friend hard in the face.

"You don't talk back to me. Are we clear!?" She looked calm, but there was an edge to her voice. Olivia put her hand up to her face and backed away. Jen felt so angry, George had to use his weight and height to keep her from punching Sarah's plastic nose into her stupid face in a rare moment of revealed fury.

"See you in class, bitch." With that last insult passed her way, Sarah and her crew stalked off in search of other prey to abuse. Jen slowly released the tension in her body as she lost sight of Sarah, and George released her. She briefly considered running after her when she heard Olivia start to cry, and she rushed to her side.

"Olivia! Don't listen to her! She's a bully, don't pay any attention to her!" George whispered, kneeling down to comfort her, wrapping his arms gently around her torso.

"Olive, I know you're sad and hurt, but try not to let them get you down. C'mon, don't let that 2.1 GPA average idiot get you down. Hey, if we're lucky, we won't see her until next year. Tell me that's a great thing to look forwards to." I'm not the best at comforting people, but Olivia managed a smile. She stood up on shaky legs, wiping away her tears, but taking the integrity of her makeup with it.

"C'mon. I have my makeup kit with me. You'll feel better in no time." Jen dragged Olive off to the bathroom to clean off the remnants of her ruined makeup and re-apply. The first bell had rung when they had finished.

"Bye, Jennifer! Good luck on your geometry exam!" Olivia spoke in her normal soothing tone that always made her feel better. Almost.

"See you in Tech, Olive. Heaven help those anorexic hacks if I find them before summer is over. I SHALL AVENGE THEE!" she hissed dramatically and shaking her fist in the air, only earning herself a small giggle and a light punch in the shoulder. She rubbed it with a slightly tired smile, walking off to face her test.

{[:]}

"Well, that was easy." she said to herself as she walked out of room 204 and into the open hall that was starting to congest with people heading off to lunch. Jen passed by her locker, checking to see if it was empty.

It wasn't. Inside waited two slips of paper - likely slid through the ventilation slits – both folded so she couldn't read them. One of them was a pink paper, the other regular binder paper. She chose the plain one first.

Hey Bed-Head,

If you think for a second that I'm going to let you go after you ruined my image, your very mistaken! I'll hunt you down! Do you here me?! I will get you!

Your life is worthless compared to mine! You may have money but you can't even stand up to my superiority! Your going to die worthless and unwanted, in some old ditch filled with you're own filth you dirty whore! I'll enjoy seeing you break.

Jen huffed a small laugh to herself at the ridiculousness of it all, and considered to show it to her friends for a laugh. She picked on her for a similar reason that Draco Malfoy picks on Harry Potter, but she had a hard time thinking up good insults for her, as she gave her nothing to work with ever. But, oh! Oh the clichéd villainy! Oh the terrible grammar! This is the magnum opus of bully stereotypes! Its just too great an opportunity to pass up!

Still rolling her eyes inwardly at the horrible attempt at being intimidating, she opened the manly pink note.

Hey, Jen!

I saw She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named put a note in your locker, and put this one in to cheer you up. Listen to your own advice and don't listen to her; she's lying all the time. You are the best person in this school, even better than I. I know that you told me not to say that, but it's true. I know what you're thinking, "But that's not true! You're better! You and Olivia are the best!", but no one here rivals you and your amazing ideas. So chin up, soldier! Your battles are about to end! I'll try to see you this summer!

-George

Jen folded the note and silently placed it into her backpack, while chucking the other into the garbage. She checked the clock. Eleven twenty-two. Hurriedly, she pulled out her notes for Tech and rushed to her class, making it inside before the second bell rung for lunch, and immediately realized her mistake.

"Nuggets," she cursed to herself, knowing that she would be last in line for food even if she ran. Mr. Vallejo heard her and looked up from his desk.

"Language, Ms. Aubry." He chided, "My classroom isn't that bad, is it?" Jen exhaled amusedly under her breath despite the bad joke, rolling her eyes and unloading her things onto her desk and pulling out the notes for a last-minute review.

"You won't be needing that, Jenny," he said as she flipped through her flashcards. The young lady looked up at him with mild disbelief, raising one eyebrow in interest.

"Really? What're we doing, then?" she asked him. He sat back in his chair, wheeling around to write on the large whiteboard behind him, erasing the diagram of a standard computer chip already there.

Today's agenda:

Screw the test, that would be boring.

She frowned playfully, chastising him for being a hypocrite. Mr. Vallejo understood the classroom better than all the other teachers combined. He grinned a bit before continuing.

Since you are all grown people who (probably) don't need a permission slip, today we will have a field trip instead to the single greatest dream of any computer and programmer ever. Do not unpack, but you can change into whatever spare clothes you've brought. We will be walking for a few blocks.

Compared to her normal blank expression, her smile could have blinded the sun, moon, and stars collectively, and she felt ready to shriek loud enough to break the windows. Jen caught Mr. Vallejo looking at her with mild surprise, and immediately put on a mask of indifference. The 29-year-old teacher looked put off.

"Smiling looks good on you." He commented nonchalantly. Jen looked to the side, frowning. Her fan girl mood had gone away a few seconds ago.

"Thanks, I don't get an excuse to do it that often," she replied. She immediately felt that was the wrong thing to say as her heart dropped to her gut. Mr. Vallejo looked conflicted for a moment, and she hastily tried to cover up her mistake, "I mean, school's kinda been a bit of a drag, huh? So much stuff to do!" She laughed hysterically. He simply shrugged, and went back to whatever he was doing. "Smooth," she thought to herself ruefully, biting her tongue and trying to suppress thinking of ways she could have said that better.

As she moped to herself, a barrage of different things went through her head including, but not limited too, Sarah and her ass-holiness (religion joke intended), her only two friends, and her position in life (mediocre at best). She only stopped when her stomach moaned.

Jen groaned in her throat with her eyes closed, completely fed up (no pun intended) with waiting awkwardly for lunch to end. She excused herself to the restroom to get out of the embarrassing situation and yanked off the dress. Out of spite, she used it to wipe off some of her mascara and blush, before removing it properly with makeup remover, promptly wiping the remaining bits off on the dress again.

Jen yanked on the grey undershirt and blue flannel and pulled on the shorts just as quickly. She put on her shoes and socks with a little more care, however, and applied her makeup with a delicate hand. As an afterthought, she messed up her hair to let it fall back its natural tight frizzy ringlets.

When she finished, she went back to the room and pulled out her laptop. She opened up a coding program to pass the time, programing the first tune that came to her head. As she finished, she slipped out of autopilot and reviewed the tune. Huh. It was the Song of Storms. Well, that's not threatening in the slightest…

The lunch bell rang, prompting hundreds of students to return to their studies (or lack thereof. Yay!). The room became a bit more crowded as people filed in, George and Olivia taking their seats closer to her so they could talk.

"We're going to Stark Tower!? Holy mother of Jesus, I'm gonna meet Iron Man!" Olivia hissed giddily, bouncing a little in her seat in anticipation.

"I'd prefer Tony Stark, the billionaire playboy inventor, over that over glorified glowing Tin man." Jennifer said pointedly. George rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Jen, when will this stick with you; Tony Stark and Ironman are the same person." Jen chose not to listen to his argument and opted to continue to rant.

"And it's not even iron, it's a gold alloy mixed with titanium, steel, and an inner layer of carbon thread! Where the hell does that say 'iron'? Nowhere! And being a vigilante is illegal!" Jennifer was cut off by George again.

"Actually, he's working for the government, now." He spoke softly, but he still made her feel like she was doing something incorrectly. She stayed quiet, and Olivia took up the slack along with her nonconformist conspiracy theories.

"But not before he joined them! And now he's probably in league with the Illuminati or some other mind-controlling group! OH MY GOD, HE'S BEEN HYPNOTISING US!" she whisper-yelled the last part, and even she had to roll her eyes.

"Hey, I'd be fine with being controlled by a playboy like him," she said before she thought about her words, her eyes widening in shock. Vallejo part 2. Olivia grinned fiendishly.

"If you know what I mean." Olivia said before her friend could correct herself. Jen face palmed, groaning to herself and trying to hide her blush. George removed himself from the situation rapidly and moved back to his assigned table before he could hear any more of their 'discussion'. Jen had to giggle inwardly at the look on his face.

"All right, I'm assuming you have read the directions on the board if you're talking. I believe it's time to go. We only have four hours to get there, cause a ruckus, and get kicked out." Many people laughed hard along with their teacher, "So let's hit the road! Stay close to the group, and don't lose sight of your buddy. Get your stuff and follow me." Everyone who had brought their backpacks (which was basically ninety-nine percent of the class, everyone present was serious about their work, no matter what grade they were in) picked them up and carried it with them as they left the class.

The way over was remarkably unremarkable; the only thing that really happened out of the usual was when the group passed by a homeless man who asked them for some money. The majority of them were cleaned out from lunch, but she passed the man seven dollars. He thanked her, and she caught back up with her group. As soon as she caught sight of the tower, her heart began to do an acrobatics routine next to her stomach.

'Shhhiiiiiittttake mushrooms… I don't need that. My stomach's already stabbing the rest of my gut with a fish knife. Calm down, Jennifer.' she thought to herself, trying to quell her nervous stomach. The girl could just imagine Kuku's voice whispering calming things in her ear, 'And now you're hearing your weapon spirit's voice. Congratulations! You're going insane.' She was broken from her mental laments when Olivia shook her by the shoulders.

"Eep! Can you believe it? We're gonna meet Tony Stark! Ironman! AN AVENGER! Isn't that amazing?!" Jen could tell quickly that Olive was going to go into full-blown fan girl mode if she couldn't quell her enthusiasm.

"Vivi, you aren't likely to meet him, you know," Jen said flatly. Olivia stopped shaking her friend.

"I can dream, you know!" she said indignantly. Jen shrugged.

"I realize. I'm just saying he's pretty busy right now. With the probability of being invaded and all…" She trailed off, trying not to say anything about everything she knew. Olivia gasped, clearly rearing to start ranting about all the conspiracy theories and online knowledge she'd found from other people who shared her interests. Jen prepared herself good-naturedly, waiting for the barrage of B.S. that was certainly to come forth.

"HOLY CRAP!" she shrieked instead. She looked around for the source of her exclamation. "Look!" she continued, pointing to the sky.

Braving the glare of the sun, she looked up. Squinting her eyes tightly, she could barely make out the glint of metal, specifically belonging to a certain hot-rod red and gold metal bodysuit.

"No way in hell…" the brown haired girl muttered to herself in awe just before it landed right in front of their amalgamation of students, armor retracting into a more manageable (and heavy) rolling suitcase. Immediately, half the crowd shrieked; everyone else was forced to cover their ears.

"What a bunch of banshees," Jen grumbled to herself as she uncovered her ears. Tony and his famous dramatic entrances always caused a stir.

"Hello, Middleman High!" More screaming. "I am Ironman, and I'll be your tour guide today!" Somehow, they got even louder. Rubbing her extremely sore ears, she tuned out the rest of what Tony was saying and focused on her own calming thoughts. Jen knew him well enough by his online social media to guess it was about facts that She'd already learned online. As they walked through the different rooms in the Tower, they had the chance to see the incredible different models of the suits he'd worn. She could see how he never failed to bring out different ideas of what the suits looked like; always innovating and making things better. Finally, at the end of a hall filled with blueprints, she found a fault with a suit that hadn't been fixed. Jen debated whether or not to tell him, but she was convinced when she had the mental image of the suit dropping from thousands of feet in the air.

"Um…Mr. Stark?" she asked awkwardly, not removing her gaze from the blueprints in front of her for fear that She'd catch his gaze, "Mr. Stark?"

"Yes, Pepper?" he said absentmindedly, breaking out of a rant about himself halfway through a sentence. Jen rolled her eyes, getting more confident in herself.

"My name's Jennifer. A-anyway, did you notice this about your Mark VII? If something small enough happens to have a lucky shot here, the whole suit will… Uh… drop out of the sky." Her comment got his undivided attention.

"Seriously? That can't be right." he walked up to Jen and leaned in close, one hand on his goatee, the other supporting his arm. She shivered at his lack of regard to personal space, but she still pointed to a certain spot along the suit's back where the flight stabilizers were located.

"See? Here, if a small projectile, maybe a… a laser or something, hits this piston, the resulting wiring damage will cause you to lose control of you flight pattern. A-as I've said, the whole thing will send you to the dirt if you get hit with a lucky shot," Jen said pointedly, if a little quietly. Mr. Stark's eyebrows ascended his forehead.

"Huh. I need to fix that, don't I?" he asked, as if asking for permission. She didn't even look at him.

"Y-yeah, I guess." With that speech of the ages, she awkwardly shuffled away from the glass and continued to examine the inventions on display. She noticed a color picture of the future Mark VIII (painted a strange white and hot-rod red) on her way back to the group, and turned back around, ready to make a quiet remark, but was cut off by a very sick-looking George, who hissed under his breath, "There's a good reason Gryffindor's colors are red and gold, not white. The red makes the white look almost greenish, and white makes red look slightly tacky. Too Christmassy if you ask me. Keep that color combo with smaller vehicles and Santa hats, not Iron Man's suits."

She re-joined the group silently, helping George ignore the confused stares of the classmates who had overheard his own tirade. Meanwhile, Mr. Stark had finished making the revisions to the iron man suit and came back to the group.

"Alright! Back to the tour!" he jogged back up to the front, "Madame, will you join me?" he said with his trademark womanizing (not that he was flirting with me) grin. It was at this point that she fully realized who she was talking to, and her heart promptly began to jig at the prospect of talking with the inventor Tony Stark. Feeling really giddy, she walked forward with a large grin that she didn't bother to suppress. The crowd parted down the middle to allow her to pass. Feeling like she was walking down the aisle on her wedding day, Jen took notice of two faces in the audience; Olivia and George.

Olivia looked positively green with envy, the expression contorting her face into an extremely unattractive scowl. When she caught her gaze, she frowned further, and looked pointedly to her right; away from her idol. Jen looked to George for help; but as soon as she caught his eyes, he suddenly took interest in his shoes. Both had dismissed her in the space of less than a second.

Her first thought was to start crying right there. Her only two friends that She'd had since seventh grade had just ditched her because she did something this stupid.

'This is what happened last time, remember? This is what you get for trusting someone. That's what people do. They take your trust - they take your heart -and they break it the first chance they get. Olivia and George aren't acceptations,' Jen thought bitterly to herself, biting her lip and trying to stifle the burning sensation in her eyes and throat. 'Olivia always followed her first thoughts, always too emotional; that's how you were able to become friends. She's no better than Sarah. I hate her. I hate her.'

Jen left them behind quickly, almost running to catch up with Stark, fighting back the uncharacteristic burning rage and hurt that threatened to swallow her whole. Somehow, Stark hadn't noticed her momentary lapse and had continued to talk about his tower and recent inventions. She paid his rambling no attention, making a distinct effort not to look at her former friends; instead, focusing on pictures and labs that the group passed by.

Eventually, the few hours that the class had to tour the tower came to an end, and Mr. Stark sent everyone back to the ground floor in case they wanted to buy something (yes, he had an Iron Man gift shop. Don't be so surprised). She dragged her feet, trying to make the most of her last moments in this paradise - compared to her bland household, this really was Heaven - and she was the last one to reach the elevator. Before she could press the button to call the lift, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her away before she could so much as yelp.

"What the F-!" she tried to say before their grip tightened and covered her mouth, successfully preventing her from crying out for help. The fighter kicked and thrashed in the person's grip as hard as she could, but she was tightly held against their chest - which was flat and solid, leading her to believe her attacker is male. Jen was dragged through nearly-abandoned halls until they stopped in front of a large door. Immediately, she took the opportunity to slam her heel into his crotch, causing him to drop her with a very loud groan of pain. Jen wheeled around to face her attacker, fists raised to guard her face like Din's acolyte had taught her.

To her genuine surprise, it was Stark who'd dragged her here. He was still on the ground, dramatically staring off to the side with an agonized expression.

"OhmygodI'msorrydon'tsuemyfamily!" was her first thought, but, "Wait…What the actual fuck are you doing?" came out before that. Her mouth pursed in awkwardness when she realized she didn't actually swear.

"Ouch…" was Tony's pitiful reply, "Help me up?"

"Wha-? Why did you try to abduct me?" she asked stupidly, trying and failing to piece together what was happening.

"Knock on the door to find out what's behind the curtain."

"Why does it have to be movie references?" she muttered to herself, pounding on the door, "Whoever is in there, show yourself. I didn't get abducted by Tony Stark just to go on with her life like I should." Tony chuckled heartily from his position on the floor. Jen raised an eyebrow at him, suddenly wondering why she wasn't feeling nervous around him anymore.

The door swung open on its hinges with a robotic swoosh, and she suddenly regretted flooring Stark. Behind the door was his famous Party Room, where he hosted an assortment of different… parties. A bar was tucked onto one wall, a large T.V. housed another, but on the second floor, sitting on the large couch with expressions ranging from amused to shocked, were most of the Avengers.

"Oh shiiii…ooooot… Uh. Oops?" she offered weakly, hoping against hope to live long enough to actually find out what bad things would be happening later. Jen squeezed her eyes shut in preparation for her approaching demise. When she wasn't electrocuted immediately (Thor had been reaching for his hammer), she opened her eyes just a smidge and did a head count while she still could.

Thor was obvious, standing on the edge of the balcony holding his hammer (loosely) in his right hand, his left draped over the balcony railing with a wide smile. Captain America was to his right, and Hulk to his left, one smirking heroically and the other fiddling with a rubix cube distractedly (for some reason, it made her shudder with mild dislike. Huh). Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton were off to the side, talking about something.

"Am I gonna live?" she whispered just loud enough so that Tony could hear, now that he was picking himself off the floor. He snorted.

"Hey, I'm not Capsicle nor Shakespeare over there - nor even Jolly Greenie- but I think your chances are high enough. Let me introduce you!" He walked over to the staircase, beckoning her to join him. Walking on shaking legs, she mustered up what little courage and dignity she had in the face of the most powerful people in the world. Jennifer, the powerful spear-fighter trained by the Goddesses, felt as weak as a newborn baby, as Chiku would have said.

"This is the little genius I was telling you guys about! Jennifer, say hi to the nice heroes." Stark said, pushing her forward. Jen blushed deeply in embarrassment as she realized what Tony meant by telling her to say hello.

"Uh… hi?" she tried, stuttering around the lump in her throat that refused to leave. Thor walked up to her and clapped a hand on her back.

"Hello, youngster! I heard you have a wit to rival even Tony Stark. Truly a notable feat of cognitive skill!" Her blush deepened a little bit as she took the praise, feeding her ego a smidge more than was necessary.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'rival', more like... um…" Tony cut in, but he stopped as he noticed the glares the more child-friendly heroes and heroine gave him, "Yeah, she's pretty smart," he offered instead.

"Well, if you all are going to be this awkward about it, then I think I should lighten the mood. Name's Clinton Barton, AKA Hawkeye," the archer said, putting out a hand for her to shake. Jen accepted it with a childlike enthusiasm, smiling a little.

"Natasha Romanoff, otherwise known as the Black Widow, only female avenger on the team." Ms. Aubrey accepted her hand with similar enthusiasm. She sat back down on her part of a couch, and the last two stood up.

"Good afternoon, kid, my name is Steve Rogers, though most people call me Captain America," the blond man said, politely (if a bit delicately) shaking her hand rather than clenching it. She squeezed his fingers as tightly as she could in response.

"Ow! Hey!" Steve pulled back his hand, cradling his digits. He smiled a bit, stepping back, "You're stronger than you look."

Hulk's alter ego took Steve's place, clasping her hand firmly with one hand, "I'm Dr. Bruce Banner. It's a pleasure to meet you." He sat back down, smiling gently at her. Jen smiled back.

"So, how's life?" Tony started, breaking a brief silence. Jen shrugged.

"Eh, so-so. I met you, but then you KIDNAPPED me." She glared at him.

"I prefer the term 'surprise adoption'." She raised her eyebrow, before bursting into quiet giggles.

"Aah, if only," she muttered to herself, her face buried in her palm.

She and the Avengers continued talking for a while after, somehow managing to juggle the thoughts and opinions of seven people. After a while, Capsicle (as Tony called him) excused himself to go jogging. A few minutes after, Natasha said she had to go home. Later, Banner went back to his lab. Eventually, only she and Tony were left. They quickly ran out of topic to talk about, and fell into an awkward silence, during which Tony had taken the liberty of pulling out a bottle of whisky. Despite not being able to see any clocks, she was certain that she'd missed the ball.

"So… um, I don't think I caught your last name," he said, not liking the silence.

"Oh. It's Aubry. Y'know, like Johnathan Aubry? CEO of Martin-Killenger bank?" Jen offered, shifting a bit in her seat. He leaned back on the couch.

"Huh. I'm doing business with them, aren't I? Oh, yeah, I think they were going to fund something of mine? Hey, Jenny, did your parents tell you about it?" he asked, talking to himself in an effort to remember through a haze of alcohol. She sighed.

"Yeah, they have. A lot. They're really focused on their work," she said emotionlessly. Tony looked at her, a silly curious expression on his face.

"Oh? They must make a lot of money, then. Not as much as me, of course, but plenty I'm sure. Must be greeeeeeaaaaat…" Jen scoffed bitterly.

"Yeah. Great if you like stuffy babysitters and high expectations and interrupted Movie Nights or every night." Jen scowled, releasing an angry breath and looking off to the side. Tony, even drunk, picked up on her agitation.

"Was'a matter? C'mon, you can tell meeeeeee." She gave him a sidelong look, only to find a stupid smile on his face. She sighed, reaching for her backpack only to remember that it was at school. Which was closed.

"Oh, it's nothing really. Anyway, good luck with the business deal, you're gonna need it dealing with my family…" She stood up and began to walk down the stairs, only to stop when the door opened.

"Tony? There's someone here to- Oh!" a tall strawberry-blond dressed in a black skirt and jacket and a white shirt underneath.

"Pepper~ How are you!" Tony's voice sounded from above her, "I'd like you to meet a friend! That's Jenny, and she's Johnny's daughter. Remember him? The banking guy? Right?" The woman – Pepper – sighed, and face palmed.

"Tony, why are you getting drunk now? And with the daughter of our most important business partner to date. Do you want to make yourself look like a fool?" Jen shrugged.

"It's not that bad. My mom's gotten much drunker. At least Tony's a giddy drunk." Jen continued down the stairs, jumping at the loud thump that signaled Stark trying to follow her downstairs. Pepper looked confused.

"Drunker? What is Mrs. Aubry like when she's drunk, then?" She swallowed a lump in her throat, thinking back to the times when she'd come home more wasted than the local garbage disposal; especially the time a few years ago when she'd found a knife… or when she talked back…

"Oh, just a bit moody and cranky. My parents are expecting me home in…" ignoring the throbbing of her old scar on her chest, she checked her watch, feeling her heart sink past her stomach when she found it was almost six in the evening, "…an hour ago. It was nice meeting you, Mrs…?"

"Potts. Pepper Potts," she supplied as she trailed off. Jen smiled a bit, walking up to her. She was a few inches below average height, and Jen came up to about her collarbone.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Potts," she said, extending a hand formally. The women shook hands, and Jennifer turned to leave.

"Wait!" Jen turned around. "Do you need a ride home? It won't be too much trouble. God knows how much Tony causes," she said. She looked out the window at the evening sky, but shook her head.

"Nah. I'll be fine. It's not that far, anyways, and I can protect myself," she said, continuing out the door, "Bye! Slap Tony for me when he's sober!" Jen turned back to leave, but a stray though struck her and she paused.

"Hey, was this a publicity stunt?" she asked the secretary. She made an indecisive noise in her throat and turned to leave. Jen shrugged off the idea and went through the door.

She jogged through the Tower, tracing her path back to the front door by memory. She left the glass building barely a minute later, neither slowing down nor breaking a sweat. Jen made it to school, testing the gate.

It was open.

With a slightly worried feeling in the pit of her stomach, she crept along the lawn to the main building. To her dismay, she saw a figure ruffling through drawers roughly, yelling at his buddy nearby. There was a gun on one of the tables.

Her school was being robbed, she was on the front lawn, and she had an expensive computer containing incriminating evidence about Hyrule in the next room over.

~~~|{=+=}|~~~

Five minutes later, she had calmed her wildly beating heart when She'd discovered that they hadn't, in fact, even been into Mr. Vallejo's room. Jen had then decided that the best course of action would be to climb through the window before they found her, grab her backpack, and…

Okay. Her plan was stupid. It was reckless, and could even get her killed. Well, in that case it'll be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Goddesses above, she must be really cracked if she's making jokes right now.

Before she could change her mind, she left cover and pushed on one of the windows that lead to the room. It didn't budge. Swallowing her fear, she tried another, harder this time. Thankfully, this one was open, but she tumbled roughly into the room as she fell through the open window. Jen rolled on her shoulder, wincing as she likely bruised. She landed on a table hard enough to make it scrap along the floor. Jen groaned in pain.

"What the fuck was that?" yelled a masculine voice from down the hall. Her heart stopped, and she searched frantically for a place to hide, settling on ducking under the teacher's podium, "Lennie, go check! I'll finish up in here and we can scram!" Heavy footsteps thudded down the hall, and she started to pray to any god or goddess she could think of, whether she had met them or not.

The door swung open slowly, and she could feel someone's eyes pass over her hiding spot. Jen cuddled into herself tighter, hoping against hope that he hadn't seen her. Sweat dripped down her back despite the frosty temperatures outside.

"Nothin' here, George. Jus' a bird or sumpthin'. There's a lot of computers and fancy equipment in here, though," the burly man said, his voice heavily accented, but she couldn't place it.

"Oh? How big?" Oh no…

"Big, George. Big 'n fancy."

"Lemme see." Jen heard more footsteps, this time lighter and quicker, suggesting a distinct size difference.

"Too big. Maybe if we come back, but its too big. Help me with the other room, though."

She breathed a deep, but quiet, sigh of relief, but didn't dare leave her hiding spot. She heard the door close again, and the pairs of footsteps retreated back to the science rooms. Jen peeked out, and upon seeing nothing, grabbed her bag and flung it through the window. The bag rustled the hedges that stood in tight rows underneath the window, shaking off the snow. The noise prompted them to come rushing back, but she leaped out the window after her backpack. She took off at the speed of light in the general direction of the nearest subway station, not stopping for anything. Jen practically flew through the streets, slowing only when she couldn't see the school or anyone following her. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, "Not dead just yet".

Jen got a ticket to the outskirts of the city, past the wreckage, and closer to her neighborhood. She waited for the next bus over to her neighborhood for about half an hour, killing the battery on her phone. The bus was mostly empty, though it would fill up later tonight. It dropped her off a few blocks away from the household. She began to speed walk back to her house as she noticed exactly how dark it was outside, jumping at the slightest noise. Jen still went through all her rituals of walking home, though. She pet Mr. Harrison's dog through the fence, called for the Paddington's cat and gave it a small scratch on the back, and kicked the stick that somehow always appeared at the same place every morning. She still ran briskly through these habits, though, finally reaching her home block as the street lamps turned on.

Jen got back home not long after, legs sore and lungs burning from the cold. She pulled the key out from under the doormat, unlocked the door, and crept inside. Jen saw Mom passed out at the inside bar, a bottle of expensive rum clutched in her perfectly-manicured hand. In the study, dad was reading of Mice and Men quietly, smoking a cigarette, like he always did.

Hoping to the Goddesses they wouldn't realize she was late, she crept upstairs to her bedroom to hide until the morning, closing the door behind her with a sigh of relief.

"So, what's this?" came a silvery sweet voice from behind her.

~~~~)(~~~~

Jen wheeled around with the speed of the Tasmanian Devil, scared out of her wits. Behind her, sitting on her blue armchair, was Vera. And she was flipping through her sketchbook, which held pictures of so many incriminating things. She turned the page, and her eyebrows rose. "What's this?" Vera asked, flipping over the notebook so Jen could see it, too. Her heart dropped when she saw her picture of her holding Chiku's predicted final weapon form with her outline behind her, bright iridescent skin glimmering in the drawn light of the glow of the 3 goddesses in the background.

"Uh… a doodle?" she stammered. She huffed, and flipped the page.

"This?" A picture of the Twilight portal with a caption stating its name.

"Um… it's another doodle?" she offered lamely. She snapped the notebook shut with a solid snap.

"You know something about what's going on, Jennie," she said accusingly, "Why aren't you telling anyone about this?! You could save hundreds of people's lives!" Jen decided to bluff her way out of this predicament.

"Hey! I know as much as you do about that thing. It just so happens to be interesting to draw. I named it after the colors I used!" she shouted defensively, putting her hands up to her head. Vera's perfect brown eyes narrowed, her mouth twisted into a scowl. She looked like she was ready to hit her, but instead she took a breath and relaxed.

"Look, I know we are not on the… best of terms, but I need to know everything that you know about these pictures, and everything else in here," she said gently but firmly as she pulled out her diary. Jen felt almost sick as she noticed the lock was gone and the chain cut. All her secrets were in there…

"Why are you looking through all my stuff?! I had that lock there for a reason, and it's to keep snoops like you away! Get the hell out of my room, you snooping, nosy a-hole! Give that back!" she shouted aggressively, snatching her notebook and sketchbook out of her hands and pulling her out of her room, closing and locking the door to keep her out. She rested heavily against the door, breathing heavily. Jen exhaled violently, standing up and walking over to her large desk, pulling out her computer from her backpack.

She typed in the password and opened a new tab, typing in the URL to one of her favorite fan fiction sites, pulling up the next chapter of a crossover. Unfortunately, she became bored with it within 1.5 seconds, and she decided to browse something a little less usual.

She pulled up another tab, opening up a controversy theory website. She scrolled through the list of blog posts, ignoring the ones about the presidential candidates or the white house or the CIA or stuff like that, instead focusing on the ones about the Twilight portal and stuff. On a whim, she opened up the one that she noticed had the most replies, and read it through.

As Jen had expected, it had very little accurate information, and was mostly theorizing without real evidence, but it was interesting and was plausible, if she hadn't already known about what was really happening, she might have believed it. She huffed a laugh, signing up to the site as "Anonymous Deity" to comment on the theory. For shits and giggles, she wrote, "It was an accident", and simply waited.

And waited.

When Jen finally realized that people wouldn't look at her comment immediately after it was made or comment on it just yet, she pulled up Adobe Photoshop, and began another doodle of the Golden Goddesses to the tune and mood of a Nightcore Beethoven Virus on Youtube set on repeat. It was about halfway out of the pose sketches when her Inbox dinged to tell her she had a message. She saved the sketch draft and changed the music back to Watch Later Shuffle, where it came up as a Nightcore of Senbonzakura by Lindsey Stirling. Rethinking the music, she changed it to a compilation of Best November Electro Swing by Xefox Music. Satisfied, she moved on to the comment, which was quickly spawning replies of itself.

The original message read, What do you mean? From D pper_M n, but the replies were along the lines of What the heck do you mean? and Please tell us more. Sighing, Jen replied to all the questions with, Wait for a few minutes, I'm writing the whole story. I actually know a few things as facts. Somewhat saddened that the responses weren't humorous at all, she futzed around with her dashboard for a few minutes before starting to write the story the Goddesses gave her, ending it with, "Whether you believe it as fact or fiction, it is what I know as true, and it is what will become horrifyingly real to those too close to me".

And she waited.

But then got bored, and went back to scrolling through fanfiction.


	9. The Last of the Filler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'm done.   
> Or am I? ;)  
> Yes, yes I am.

The next day was the first day of the weekend, the day before her dad was scheduled to close the deal with Stark Industries over god-knows-what. She had absolutely nothing to do until the next day, when she would have to go with the rest of her family for hours on end listening to people talk about Stark and the bank and Jen didn't care.

And so, on the first day of her brief break, Jen simply went outside. Normally she would stay inside and rot her brain on the computer or do some homework, but she wasn't needed until 5, and she knew this one great spot in Central Park where a rock jutted slightly into the lake where she could be alone. It was a strangely warm winter's day and not windy at all, so she packed up her writing and drawing materials, phone, and computer and rode the bus and subway to the park and set up camp there.

She spent a few hours doodling the lake, trees, and people before she became hungry and flagged down a hot dog vendor who was making their rounds. She asked for a regular hot dog with ketchup, and sat down at her spot to eat it, before noticing awkwardly that a few others had gathered to order as well, and he was just a few feet away. Feeling very weird about the situation, she decided to walk up and talk to him a bit.

"So, uh, weather's a bit strange, isn't it?" she asked nervously.

"What? Oh, yeah. I guess it is," he replied off-handedly.

"Still pretty, though," Jen offered. He didn't reply, handing a lady her hotdog before beginning another one. Taking this as a way to say, "Please go away", Jen shuffled off to a quieter spot to eat. As she did, Jen stared at the sky, which was cloaked by clouds and blocked by the leaves of the trees above her head. The pale glow of the sun cast barely any shadows on the ground, faintly adding to the grayscale colors around her. The result looked like a fantasy scene drained of color.

She whipped out her sketchbook immediately, putting down her half-eaten hot dog and choosing a fresh no 2 pencil from her pencil case and beginning the basic sketches of tree soldiers and treelike dryads, and at the center, a shining lake with a light guardian at its center, conducting the bustling spirits to do its bidding. She got so caught up with the sketches that she didn't notice the occasional passerby peeking at her drawing and admiring the detailed picture.

Her hand stopped just over halfway through the picture, however, as she noticed what she was really drawing. It kept the overall outline of the doodle, but it had taken on a sleepier but fantastic outlook, adding in rocks with light patterns on them and larger, more ancient trees of an unknown species surrounding the sandy shore of a pond. The originally formless light guardian had become a goat-like creature with a wide mouth, claws, conjoined horns cradling a light sphere, and a long tail, all of which were patterned similarly to the rocks around it. However, Ordona wasn't what had caught her attention. She'd seen their form plenty of times, and even free-dreamed about them before. No, Jen was looking at the wolf facing them, and the impish form that was its shadow.

She snapped the sketchbook closed callously. She'd never experienced mind manipulation through dreams in real life, though she'd been taught of it by the Goddess Acolytes and was put under its effects to learn of it. The effects weren't easy to distinguish from normal behavior, but she recognized how her conscious felt somewhat gummy, like swimming through a slime monster or something, and the taste of magic on her tongue.

It tasted like a guilt trip to her.

Roughly massaging a minor cramp in the fleshy part at the base of her thumb, Jen leaned back to look at the sky again. It had lost that magical base that had driven her to doodle, and now looked sick and dull. Her appetite was also gone, and she threw the rest of the hotdog to the ducks and pigeons.

She checked her watch. It was about 12:52 in the afternoon, so she still had a lot of time to spare. She had nothing to do, so she wandered around the familiar streets, avoiding others, but generally exploring. She passed half-demolished skyscrapers still rebuilding themselves, had friendly exchanges with some of the more familiar construction crews, and got ice cream from a Ben n Jerry's.

As she took another bite of her treat, Jen contemplated her schedule. Tomorrow was when her mother and father would take them to the large meeting where they would sit and look pretty for the cameras and smile and be a happy little girl about to get really rich. She wasn't exactly looking forward to it.

Without anything to do, and still reeling from the magical manipulation, she sat down at a bus stop and began to think. She thought about what she would have to do if she accepted the Goddesses' mission for her, and what that would mean for the rest of her life. She thought about what would happen if she failed, and what the world's fate would be then. Jen thought about what She'd learned, what She'd done, and what she would have to do.

"Kid, are you getting on or what?" a gruff voice said from above her. Startled and irked, she looked up. A slightly overweight middle-aged bus driver looked back down at her. The bus was nearly empty, but the driver still looked like he had dealt with too many people. "What is it. On or off?" She stood still for a minute before rifling through the bag She'd packed, looking for her wallet.

"Oh, yeah, I'm coming, just gimme a sec, okay?" Jen said as she pulled out the brightly colored cloth wallet she owned, pulling out a bus card and climbing the bus's steps. The driver exhaled sharply as Jen swiped it, closing the doors and bringing the bus out of its kneeling position as he prepared to continue his rounds.

The bus Jen was on took a very roundabout approach to its job. She wasn't really planning to go anywhere, but she knew where she wanted to go within a few minutes. As the Avengers Tower came into view, she yanked sharply on the cord that signaled the bus to stop. She didn't know why, but she felt that she needed to look at something other than the street.

"Wait, I can't get in without a previous reservation," she suddenly remembered, but continued to get off the bus to pass off her mistake as on purpose. Jen decided she would go to the Target just down the street instead and see if she can get those hanging lights She'd wanted, or a new stuffed animal for her collection.

As she disembarked, she suddenly took new notice of the Twilight Portal not ten blocks down. The thing hadn't stopped its constant swirling, but she noticed how the occasional news or police or private helicopter always flew at least 15 yards closer than its normal flight pattern would normally allow, or else they would take care to avoid the portal altogether.

Jen continued to stare at the sky and walked past the door, but when she passed it, another figure had appeared in the doorway. Her heart fluttered for a moment as she recognized the archer Hawkeye. He was wearing a pair of tinted sunglasses and a cap that matched his Hunger Games shirt. Jen stepped past him, angling her gaze to the room beyond the glass to make it seem like she hadn't recognized him, stepping politely to the side to let him pass. Unfortunately, he recognized her pretty quickly. She was wearing the same shoes as yesterday.

"Oh, hey Jen, didn't know you were coming to visit!" he said cheerfully. She shrugged in response and tried to pass by him wordlessly. He grabbed her arm gently, and she shrugged it off. He let her pass with a small frown, walking beside her as she pointedly looked everywhere but him.

"Hey, kiddo, what's up?" There was genuine concern in his tone that belayed his returning smile. Jen shrugged.

"Not much, then. Got it. Me, I was just off to go on a jog. I was going to go see if I could catch Steve, but if you want, I can keep you company," he offered, but Jen just shrugged again and kept walking.

"Where're you going? I can't just leave you alone on a good conscience. Nat'd have by ass as a trophy if I did, anyway." She just shrugged yet another time, praying to the Goddesses that maybe, just maybe, he'll give up and the people on either side of her might just stop staring at her because its not her fault this guy won't flipping give up. Fortunately, though, he finally fell silent but kept following her as she continued to walk closer to the store.

The final few blocks were easier to traverse, as one small child recognized Clint and had to be physically passed back to her parents with a souvenir, attracting more attention from a wild flock of teenagers who brought arrows for him to sign. No matter what she did, she couldn't seem to lose her escort, though. Clint seemed content to walk next to her, but eventually she began to accept his presence, even kinda enjoying watching him get attention.

The store she was going to was large, even for New York. It was always filled with nice, kid-friendly music and the manager always put up a new inspirational poster each week directly over the door, where the security guy can see it. This week, it was a flock of penguins with the caption saying something about "walk the talk". The shelves were always full, there were always things to catch her attention, and there was always something she could use.

Today wasn't that busy, though. Unfortunately, the position of the store made it only one block away from directly under the Portal, and most of their usual customers were avoiding that like the plague. The TV in the corner of one of the food stops that was normally tuned to the news was on sports today because of that.

Regardless of the circumstances, she quickly dove into the atmosphere of buy buy buy and began browsing through a nearby bin marked-down movies, digging like she was reaching buried treasure. Jen flitted from shelf to shelf like a fairy, never pausing on any bit of merchandise for too long, and never tiring of looking at something new. Clint followed her through the store, occasionally picking up an item She'd put back, appraising it before putting it back.

After nearly an hour of flitting around, Clint tapped her on the shoulder as she was examining a rack of Happy Summer cards. Jen turned to him, blinking owlishly.

"Yes?" she asked, depositing two of the cards in her "to buy" bag. The archer gestured to his watch, where the time read 3:17.

"Have you eaten yet?" he asked, gesturing to a Top Dog nearby, "'Cuz I'm pretty hungry, myself." Jen paused, realizing that she could use a little bit of something to eat.

"Yeah, I could eat. Hot dogs sound good. But I'm not done shopping just yet," she replied playfully, gesturing to the escalator. Clinton flashed her a playful half-grin, bouncing a half-full bag of random junk she'd kinda wanted but chose not to get.

"Good, because neither am I."

They chatted over a hot dog each. She'd gotten a normal hot dog with ketchup, and he'd gotten a chili dog without ketchup or mustard. He was very easy to talk to, and accepted her normally single-word answers easily and without pressing her for more conversation. The two ate during the silences, occasionally swapping stories out of the blue about random stuff that happened recently. He loved to share stories about catching bad guys off-guard, and she found herself giggling harder than she thought she would with most of them.

At around 3:45, they threw away the remains of their hot dogs and agreed to tackle the clothes aisle before the toys section. He seemed to really enjoy making her laugh, often throwing on women's clothes and posing in the middle of a row as she walked by. She and Clint were finally unofficially kicked out of the clothes section by Maurice (staff member) after Clint put on a pair of yoga pants and a women's jogging shirt and she'd hit her head on a clothes rack laughing, knocking it over.

As they raced up the regular stairs instead of the escalator, Je felt like she was ready to do anything she wanted to. She continued to keep an inner monologue of her emotions as she sprinted up the stairs. She made it to the top first, and while she was a million percent sure Barton tripped on purpose, she felt on top of the world as she grabbed his hand and sprinted for the toys section.

They both grabbed and threw aside toys at lightning speed, keeping what they liked and causing an absolute mess in the rows. When the shopping duo came to the stuffed animals, they slowed down, taking more time. Jen looked at each thing more closely, but dropped them as she noticed the Pokémon section. There were no legendaries, but there was this perfect shiny umbreon that she really wanted. It was relatively floppy but not too much so, small, and had a pair of big eyes that made it look surprised.

Jen snatched it up as she noticed Clinton delicately picking out a plusle and a minun. He kept the minun and held out the plusle with a smile, but she waved him off and mouthed "For Natasha". His mouth opened in a childish "o" and carefully put both Pokémon in his overflowing bag. She noticed that there was an Eevee, a few small flying types types and a Ninetails among others. Jennifer couldn't see the rest of it, but she thought she saw the wing of a Latios. Seeing him with so many plushies filled her with determination to get as much stuff as possible. Jen checked her watch. It was 4:32, and she was expected home at 5. Her heart sank.

"Hey, Clint?" she said, tapping on his shoulder to break his appraising glare at a smiling Chespin.

"Hm? Oh hey, Jenny, what's up?" he replied as if he hadn't been expecting her to still be here, putting the plush down and turning to her, leaning against the edge of the shelf.

"Mom's expecting me home soon. It's about time for me to go home. I'm just gonna take an Uber, but I can take the bus closer if I walk back to the Tower. Can we wrap things up?" she asked, and he nodded, putting one last Chansey into his bag.

Their bags full, the successful walkers walked back down to the cashier's desks after cleaning up the chaos in the toys aisles. Clint offered to pay for her stuff, but she politely declined, offering to pay his. It sparked a good guy contest that went on for a few minutes before the cashier (Lisa) stopped it by quietly scanning all of her items first and taking her card from her hand to swipe it. When she did Clint's stuff, she pulled out paper and a pen and asked for an autograph, which he did happily.

They walked back to the Avengers tower quietly and slowly, but all too soon the glass shape of Stark's tower appeared and she had to wave Clint good-bye. He went through the glass doors with a smile and a salute, which she returned happily. Still in silence, Jen went to the bus station, thinking about what I'll do the next day. "I'm going to wear a nice, formal dress. Maybe that blue one. Maybe not, though. The red one might look better on me, I still have dark hair. Maybe I can find something else… Oh, shoot I forgot to check about those lights! Maybe I'll just have them shipped instead…" She continued along a similar train of thought until the bus showed up. Jen checked the line number before getting on, though. There were more people in there than She'd ever really seen before.

The ride itself was uneventful, really. No one either knew her or cared or even noticed, and she found that fine. The bus dropped her off about a mile from her house, and the way there was familiar enough, so she simply continued walking home. The sun was getting low in the sky, not sunset but still late, as she walked past the dog park, looking at the shadows made by the tall trees. Her watch read 5:09 by the time she got home, and the servants were already doing the evening cleaning and preparing the meal after having set the table. Seeing her return, one older maid bustled over.

"Jenny, I was worried you wouldn't come home, where were you?" Mrs. M the maid had a faint accent she could never place, made worse by the fact that she never learned her real last name. She wasn't old, but she wasn't young either, with faint silver strands in her otherwise fiery red hair. She was only slightly taller than Jen was, too. As a child, she loved her the most out of everyone working here because she never treated her as a superior, nor as an inferior either. She taught her to be unapologetic, too, and often would cover for her if she left without mom's or dad's permission.

"Eh, sorry, I was, um… shopping," Jennifer replied as she bustled her up the stairs and threw her a makeup kit and dress, pushing her into her room and closing the door gently behind her as she stepped in to talk to her.

"Dear, you were supposed to be home a little while ago. I know you don't like it, but unfortunately I have to deal with your mother more than you do, missy," she nagged, and she sat on the bed tiredly. She'd listened to this many times before, and it never failed to make her guilty. She would launch into a full-blown rant if she didn't stop her, but to her surprise, she suddenly sighed exhaustedly and changed the subject. "Okay, the reason your mother wanted you home was because there's an important dinner tonight. She wants you to look your best for this night's guest. Please at least try."

When she was gone, she threw her bags onto her desk and examined the dress. It was a simple one, but much more formal than She'd expected. It was a pomegranate red dress that was nearly a skirt and top, as the back of the top was buckled separately and had a slit that went around until the skirt came up to meet the top on the front. It was pretty, comfortable, and made her look older. Jen liked it immediately.

She decided to pinch her hair up into a bun, decorating it with a single long red ribbon that hung down to her neck. Jen wore gold heels, the same earrings and necklace as the day before (dangly with roses as the gem), and put on lipstick only a few shades darker than her lip color with faint gold eye shadow that had red spots below her eyebrows.

Dang, she looked better than older, she looked mature. It was a look that her mom had been trying to get her to try forever, but she made it look good. The time was only about 5:26, so she threw open her laptop and browsed. Jen looked at that theory blog thing, found no interesting news or threats, and lost interest. She unpacked her stuff, instead.

"Let's see… one Pokémon cap, a marked down copy of Goonies, a Swiss army knife, a bag, a flashlight, an Umbreon, some candy, a cute shirt, a pair of pants, three pieces of cheap merchandise jewelry, a… latias?" she asked herself as she pulled the little Pokémon plush out. It was larger than the umbreon, but just as unremarkable. However, it had a small felt bag around its neck. Jen put it to the side as she removed the last few pieces of her treasures, wondering how it got into her bag.

Jen stared at it wonderingly, setting it down on the bed next to her. She carefully took off the bag around its neck, opening it. The bag contained two folded pieces of paper, a small green game chip, an Indian arrowhead, a gift card for Jamba Juice, and a small piano key. She unfolded both pieces of paper first. One was a photo of her from yesterday at the Tower, laughing hard. The other was a small note reading "The guy who doesn't get the joke is often the punchline" in messy handwriting. The juice card had a note on the back reading, "Blackberry Pomegranate Lemonade" and the piano key had a smiley face on it.

"Barton…" she thought, smiling a little as she put it back into the bag. Jennifer settled into a relaxed position on her stomach, reading a Dr. Who/Harry Potter fanfiction that had recently updated. She was relaxed for another hour and a half when Mrs. M came back into the room, beckoning for her to follow her.

Dinner was normally a relatively relaxing affair in the essence that it was simple. With or without guests, the children would not speak unless spoken to, use proper American manners, and act respectfully. Violation of these rules, however, would be punished severely, especially so if there was a guest present. Still, the risks were slim, and the reward was a pricey and tasty dinner without interactions. After about an hour, children were dismissed from the table to do anything they wanted in their rooms.

She usually snuck down to the kitchen to test the desserts for 'poisons', receiving payment for her potentially lethal job as a fresh baked cookie or brownie from Sasha, the usual secondary chef. Then she'd sneak back up to her room and doodle, draw, read a book, or read "online novels" before bed. Very easy.

However, if you have already met the person you are meeting with "for the first time" who also constantly tries to get your attention in the most childish way possible, not so much.

The dining room was a rather extravagant room, with bland colors and modern designs as the themes. There was a useless light fixture consisting of six yellow light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, clad in glass shades. The table was a single slab of varnished wood that still retained its graining, while still being supported by two wide legs. The chairs were white cloth with brown legs; very comfortable place to do homework, to be honest. Nearby was a television as well as a bar. The main living room was right next to it.

All the dining room lights had been slightly dimmed, reflecting mostly off of the costly modern art. The table had been set with mom's finest plates and forks. They must have been really serious about this deal if they pulled out this set. She'd only seen it once or twice, and not for at least three years.

Tonight's entertainment came in the form of the man her father was going to sign off several millions, if not billions of dollars of funding to over the course of 5 years for a certain original project. Like all great deals, both parties thought they would get the better end of the stick, as the money was projected to return nearly threefold.

At least, that's what she understood from her father and Tony Stark's assistant Pepper Potts during their talk over the phone and with a conversation between Mrs. and Mr. Aubry. Jen thought it was something about a new form of energy? Or maybe helping to rebuild some of the buildings that still remained toppled? Either way, it sounded like a pretty lucrative deal.

She shuffled awkwardly into the living room, trying not to make too much noise on the hard floor. Her dad was talking to Mr. Stark in a loud and friendly voice, and both were laughing at some joke. Her mom and Ms. Potts were talking more quietly in another part of the room. Neither her sister nor her brother had appeared just yet, and she didn't want to be the center of attention. Unfortunately, Mr. Stark laughed just a little to hard at her father's favorite Japanese Golfer joke, and took notice of her standing in the doorway.

"And who, pray tell, is this?" he asked Dad loudly. Everyone turned to see who he was talking about. She shifted uncomfortably under everyone's stares. Her dad grinned widely and walked over, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"This is my adopted daughter, Jennifer. Jennifer, this is my newest business associate, Mr. Tony Starks."

"Just Tony, please. And I must say, she looks like a very nice young lady. You must be very proud of her," he smiled, pointing at her around a glass of wine. She flushed slightly under the praise. Proud of her. Mom had a tight-lipped smile plastered on her face, and for that one second, Jennifer felt triumphant over her. Dad laughed his full-belly laugh.

"Indeed I am," he agreed, "I have two other children as well I'd like you to meet, Tony. My older daughter Vera and my younger son Zach. They should be down in a second."

"My ears are burning, is someone talking about me?" Speak of the devil and she shall appear. Vera Aubry, clad in a blue dress and dark makeup and sapphires, strode into the dining room with a kind of confidence that attracted all the attention in the room. She crossed the room to stand at her father's side. She gave Jen a small side-eye stare of annoyance as Dad released his grip in her shoulders and introduced Tony to Vera. Tony shook her hand with the same enthusiasm as he greeted her with, though she could suddenly see the calculating edge of his eyes. Had he looked at her like that as well?

After Vera introduced herself, she walked over to Ms. Potts and introduced herself to her as well, something she still had yet to do, she realized. Jen hastily rectified the situation, introducing herself to Pepper formally, shaking her hand tightly. Pepper recognized her a little more slowly than Tony did, but she saw the recognition spread across her features soon enough.

Zach meandered into the room without much preamble, shirt untucked and hair messy. Mother immediately set about fixing his hair and clothes as he introduced himself to Mr. Starks, greeting him as "Iron Man", instead of his given name. Everyone in the room shared a laugh, and dinner started a few minutes later.

The Stark Industries CEO was invited to sit at one head of the table, and Jen's father took the other side. There were three other seats on each side at the table, and Ms. Potts took a seat to the right of her boss. Mary Aubrey, in a show of conjugal love, sat next to her husband on the same side of the table. Vera sat at her father's right hand, Zach took a seat next to his sister, and Jen was left with either sitting between Ms. Potts and her mother or between Stark and her brother.

She sat next to her brother. Stark looked delighted.

The conversations never dwindled, and Jen found the entire thing exhausting. Apparently, so did Tony, who, after purposefully sitting right in front of her, began to prod what he might have thought was her foot (it was really her shoe and only her shoe, since she had a habit of taking them off from under the table) in an effort to annoy her. It was working. Jen sent him a quick glare, sliding her shoe out of reach. His response was to subtly shift in his chair to face Jen's mother more, but using the extra hip leverage to continue hitting her shoe. Jennifer had to admit; she was impressed by the skill in multitasking he displayed. Not once did the stream of words out of his mouth slow, nor did his face so much as twitch when she hit him back once.

Jen distracted herself from his kicks by looking at everyone else. Pepper was wearing a sleek black and white dress that fit her nicely. Currently, she was lecturing Dad on what the project would be and what it would do. Jen half-heartedly listened to her talk, until she began getting lost. She returned her attention to the rest of the table when that happened.

To her right, Vera looked stunning in that dress and jewelry. She sat up straight, watching with rapt attention and an alertness Jen tried to replicate, but quickly got bored of. Mostly because Stark kicked her particularly hard and she almost lost her shoe. That would have been very embarrassing.

To her immediate right, Zach looked bored. He was wearing a standard tux with a pink shirt and red and blue tie, though all of these articles were slightly rumbled. His eyes were cast downwards, but reflected a white glare, leading her to believe he was probably on his phone or DS. A quick glance down revealed a Pokémon game. Zach's dark brown hair had been parted neatly and combed down under her mother's fingernails, but showed signs of rebelling out of its confinement.

Mom was wearing a really revealing dark green dress that boasted a gem-studded clasp on its strap. She, too, was listening and chatting with Ms. Potts and Stark as they discussed the project, laughing on cue and asking just the right amount of prodding questions to keep both of them talking. Dad sat next to her wearing a crisp tux and a white shirt with a purple tie.

Tony was also wearing a fancy-shmancy tux and a tie, but because she was closer to him than anyone in the family, sitting directly across him – he was the head of the table, but his invitation for her to sit near him had been nice – she could easily see the little duckies pinned under the plain blue tie. He had a perfectly straight face, even as he kicked her rapidly from under the table.

It took all her effort not to kick him back again.

Other than that, dinner was fairly easy to get through once Tony finally gave up. Like normal, she was excused, she went to the kitchen, and she went back to her room.

But she fell asleep too easily.


	10. Stuff Finally Starts Happening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In about 2 seconds the whole story speeds up

"This morning, New York City awoke in a panic. The anomaly floating above the sleeping city turned sinister at 12:00 midnight exactly, prompting a flurry of activity in the citizens of the city. Record breaking numbers have been flowing out of the city to escape the reach of this terrifying development. The crime rate first rocketed then sank to new lows. We have Alexis Arnaud at the site. Alexis?

"Thank you, Julie. Just last night, the mysterious dark spot above the sleepy city changed color from green to red. What that might mean is unknown, but the teams of scientists stationed here have not stopped their work to figure it out. The time is 6:00, and my name is Alexis Arnaud, channel 6 news,"

Up in Asgard, under the disguise of his adoptive father Odin, Loki waved his hand, shutting off off the scrying bowl in favor of pacing. The portal that had opened was of an unfamiliar design, unlike anything Thanos had shown him. What could that mean? Could it hold a new kind of power that Thanos didn't know about? Didn't want to show him? Or was it simply too pathetic for Thanos to bother with?

The more Loki paced, the more questions appeared in his sharp mind. He knew he'd failed Thanos when he failed to take over earth, but what had Thanos wanted then? More power? If that was the case, and this anomaly held new power, could he redeem himself in Thanos' eyes? But if this thing didn't hold the answers he was looking for, Thanos would still find him… Loki shuddered. Once was enough, and what Thanos had promised was a fate much worse than death.

~~~~~(&^^&)~~~~~~

At 2:00 in the morning, unbeknownst to much of Asgard and the Avengers, Thor was going to the Helicarrier. He already knew where it was, despite the invisibility, from the displaced clouds it left in its wake. Currently, it was keeping a close eye on the dark energy readings from the changed color of the portal, so it was too easy to fly onto its deck. It was perched in the Atlantic Ocean close to New York in the middle of a no-sail zone. Easy.

Getting in legally, however, not quite as easy. But with a mixture of threats, lies, and pleas, he managed to strong-arm the man guarding the door into opening up.

Thor stormed into the control room of the Helicarrier with purpose. He planned to talk to the Imp in its hold. However, when he entered the room, he was stopped in the doorway by no less than Nick Fury.

"No," was all he said.

(%^Hours later^%)

"Thor, for the last time, I'm not letting you anywhere near that thing. It could be a liability to our entire organization!" Nick Fury spoke in a low, threatening voice that spoke volumes of his authority over hundreds of people. The person who he was talking to, however, took no note of the threatening tone and continued to walk down the metal halls, his boots clanking with each step. Thor had been there for hours already, arriving late at night and continually pestering his boss.

"And I know the risks. But really, I'm unafraid of any risks, Director. I'm the god of thunder for a good reason! And I might just be the only one who can do this correctly. Allspeak is called such for a good reason." Thor's deep voice echoed too loudly in the near-silence that Nick's presence brought to the agents working at their posts. Nick sighed tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Fine. But if anything happens, I'm holding you accountable. As a precaution, I'm requiring you to keep an armed escort." Thor scowled, much like a child told that they couldn't have their favorite candy until they finish their vegetables.

"Then why didn't you have one when you went into its chambers?" Thor's kingly voice held the undertones of a whining youth.

"Because I'm your boss. Now get those people together before I decide that you really shouldn't be doing this." Nick felt like having a cigarette right then. The mythical god of thunder grinned as broadly as his shoulders, walking away with a considerable skip in his step. Nick promptly pulled out the much-needed cig, lighting it up and taking a deep puff. All of the Avengers were a handful on their own, but Thor was only rivaled by Tony Stark in his personality and childish enthusiasm.

It was already a bad omen.

{(POV:CHANGE)}

She didn't remember falling asleep, but she did remember waking up to a bright light shined RIGHT INTO HER EYEBALL.

"OW! What the heck?!" she slapped away the light source as fast as she could, blinking away spots. First she's interrogated, then she's chained to a metal sheet AND SHE'S NOT HAPPY.

"It wakes!" a voice above her boomed. Along with his voice, she heard a small din of a sound best described as 'chk-chk'. As her vision cleared, she found herself looking down a dark metal tube. Wait...tubes.

"Woah! There is not a need for this many weapons!" the voice said again. It was one of those creatures, with hair color bright as the sun, but with a distinctly male build. she's...still questioning the hair style. The clothes it wore all looked different shades of brown.

"Hello, little one! I am Thor, Prince of Asgard! I wish to make peace between us!" his booming voice echoed painfully in her ears. At least she could understand him. Maybe some kind of magic? In that case, why didn't the do this sooner?

"Midna." The shade answered haughtily. Frankly, she was done with this place. After being chained to a metal bench and being ELECTROCUTED without speaking to anyone, she didn't think that "making peace" will be possible at the moment.

"Midna? 'Tis a regal name!" the thing said. What did he mean by that?! Seriously, does he doubt her existence or something?

"That is my name, yes. Don't wear it out." she replied with a touch of sarcasm. Not gonna humor him. The creature looked a bit hurt, but replaced the expression with a broad smile.

"I didn't mean you any offence. Just a misunderstanding!" His arms spread out, as if to give her a hug. She chose to ignore him. "What is the matter? I wish to know more about you!" Golden Goddesses above, will he take a damn hint?!

"I don't. And I've had a perfectly horrible time in this place." Midna spat out with extreme contempt. That kicked Dark Hound puppy look returned with a vengeance, and she almost felt sorry for him. She dismissed the thought quickly.

"What is it that has been troubling you so? My stay here on Earth has been nothing if not pleasant!" Again, with the booming! And let's see the list of problems I've had so far!

"Well, then!? Let's see what has been happening while you lived under a rock!" she shouted, startling everything (and yes, somehow it got through Thor's 'head') "I've been hunted down like a wild, feral animal then getting caught in a net and ELECTROCUTED. And now I'm in a goddess-damned interrogation room with a punch of panicky, stupid creatures that can't seem to see what in Majora's cursed name is in front of their face! I just wanted to have a nice, calming BANISHMENT from my own homeworld! And now I'm stuck with you! SO EXCUSE ME IF I'M NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!"

By the time she finished, she was panting heavily, her eyes burning with tears that didn't want to go away. Everyone in the room looked shocked, even if they couldn't understand her they certainly understood 'Thor'. Wordlessly, he turned his back to her and walked to the other side of the room, where the door was. He paused in the doorframe.

"I see you don't want to talk with me, but I am still the only one with which you can communicate. Your history is black, and I don't wish to antagonize you. I will speak again with you at some later time." And with that happy note, he left with the others that had come with him, locking the door again behind him.

Midna settled back into her chair, her earlier irritation and anger fading rapidly, leaving her feeling empty and alone.

'Huh. I actually kinda miss that blond idiot…' She shook her head, dispersing the thoughts before she could start feeling guilty. 'Meh. I don't think he would have been helpful to me anyways.'

The princess must have sat there for over an hour before anything broke the monotony. The grey walls seemed to be blurred from her staring at it for so long, and she sank deep into her own tainted thoughts of reclaiming the throne. She barely noticed when the bench she sat upon began to shake, simply dismissing it as loose, but she certainly took notice of the shriek of twisting metal reverberating through her skull.

"WHAT THE-" the curse nearly came to life when the walls imploded, the blast stunning her into a daze. She vaguely noticed when a grey suit of armor similar to the one that had electrocuted her stepped through the rubble, picking her up. The face of the armor retracted, showing her another dark-skinned creature like the cyclops, but with both eyes.

"Owwwww…" she moaned, barely able to think straight. Her vision swam in and out of brightness. It hauled her through the hole in the wall it had made and out into open air. Midna barely caught sight of a strange-looking red portal much like the one she'd made before the bright sunlight struck her face. She was out like a light, too drained to put up a fight.

(#^Alright, last one^#)

The night it all went to hell in a handbasket, Jennifer Aubrey was arguing with the Acolytes of the Golden Goddesses.

"For the last time, and I mean the last time, I'm not who you're looking for, god dammit!" she yelled at Nayru's aid. To help "appeal to her rationality", each acolyte appeared separately. She'd already stood up to Farore's, and she wasn't looking forward to having to bully the fire-prone Sensei into going away.

"Stop being such an ignorant brute! You've trained for this for years. You have magic, you have a yari, and you have the courage, wisdom, and power anyone needs to fight this threat! For the love of Nayru, would you listen?! Look here," she yelled, pulling up an image from the outside world. The Twilight Portal had turned red, signifying a shift in the user, "Zant is using the princess's portal to bring his army into your realm. It's no longer my problem, it's ours. The fate of billions rests on you, now!"

"Then find someone else! Train someone else! I'm only 17 years old! No one in their right mind would trust their life to me! Find another, please! I'm not… I'm not what you want… I'm just the unwanted bastard child of another woman that Dad was forced to take care of. I don't deserve this, and I don't deserve to have a real adventure," Jen muttered through Chiku, tears of frustration and self-loathing as her biggest secret from the world came out.

Years ago, her father had fallen in love with another woman, and had an affair that lasted until the woman got pregnant. The woman was fired in an effort to keep her pregnancy secret, but she died in childbirth and she was forced into her father's family. Legally, Jen was adopted from an orphanage willingly, but that was apparently the day that her mother began to drink, according to her big sister.

Nayru's acolyte looked at her with a mix of pity and sympathy that turned her stomach. Jen quickly got rid of her tears, glaring at her through her lashes.

"Jen… I didn't know you thought that…" she said soothingly, but she only snapped at her.

"Oh, of course you didn't know. It's not like you're an acolyte of an omnipotent goddess with … two? Three other beings like you? I'm counting Demise. It's not like you didn't know I'm just as afraid of what would happen if I succeed as what would happen if I fail. I'm scared I won't be what others want me to become, I'm afraid that I'll ruin my chances of living happily, I'm afraid that I'll die, and I'm afraid that I'll never find a place to be happy ever. And… I'm afraid that I'll be a burden on everyone around me. But hey, maybe you didn't realize I'm only human, right? Maybe you thought that I was your perfect little soldier who can do anything you want, right? Well, I'm not. I'm not a soldier, I'm not a fearless, all-knowing warrior, and… and… I'm not ready to become one. I'm not strong enough," Jen's weapon spirit finished quietly, tears leaking out silently.

Nayru was silent for a moment, then waved her hand. The image of the portal disappeared, replaced by the image of a little girl with crooked teeth and a mop of wild dark brown hair. she recognized it as her, back when she wasn't under the trio's care. She'd been a rambunctious little thing, as selfish and curious as kids her age. In a heartbeat, she watched the little girl grow up to be a terrifying fighter, a powerful mage, and an intelligent thinker. Her tears came back.

"Okay, okay you've made your point. I guess I'm a little bit harsh on myself," Jen said through Chiku, smiling as Teacher smiled triumphantly, and the others appeared next to her.

"It doesn't matter where you come from, or what you think what you aren't able to do, you know. You've told yourself that so many times, I thought you'd believe it by now," the immortal spirit said.

Din's acolyte took over her speech for her, "Kid, when I met you, I thought the same things you are thinking now. But, I was very wrong. In fact, look, look there! You were only seven, and you took down a miniblin squad with help only from yourself. And here! Deku baba down the next week! That's the reason I think you can do this. You are a skilled fighter, with or without backup. Heck, if I faced you on the battlefield at your prime, I'd be terrified! So look here, kid. Look your insecurity in the eye and tell it "You're wrong","

"So go out there and give those monsters the ol' one-two knockout, okay?" Farore's subordinate finished. Jen sniffled, still smiling.

"You guys are a bunch of dorks; you know that?" Chiku murmured.

"Thank you," replied the green one.

Teacher suddenly shook herself, probably to get rid of tears. "Alright, now that we're done with this nonsense, Jen needs to-"

Jen was pulled out of the dream suddenly by an ugly crunch.

"Wha-?" she muttered. Jen opened her eyes to find an open computer playing YouTube, specifically a video of someone eating a chicken bone. Irritated, she snapped the computer shut and went back to sleep. Zach was such a pill.

"Okay, as I was saying, you need to have your power transferred into the real world before you're ready to fight, okay?" Teacher finished.

"Okay, so how's that supposed to work?" Jen asked, suddenly realizing that Chiku wasn't present in her dream anymore. Her translator would have been greatly appreciated at the moment.

"Well, since you're human and not Hylian, we need to introduce you to your magic gently. So we plan to introduce you to more of your magic when you're able to control it. So… basically the more monsters you slay with magic, the more control you get, and more magic you get. You can also improve Chiku's yari form and physical form as you kill stuff. Like a video game, okay?" Master said easily. Jen closed her eyes and sighed.

"Okay, I can deal with this. It's not like I won't have the skills from earlier, right? I can use Chiku just fine with or without magic. Wait… Can you at least boost strength and speed?" she asked. Din's acolyte made a "of course" gesture.

"Yeah, we were going to do that anyway, with or without your consent. You'll get stronger as you go work out, of course, but we can start with giving you the strength of an above-average strength male of your age. Pretty much the same as what you have in your dreams now. Any more, of course, and it'll be too hard for your heart to keep up until it can get stronger. Kinda irritating, isn't it?" the redhead finished lightly, but earned herself a jab in the ribs from the blue one.

"Don't be so crude. But, yes, you do still have your limitations, regardless of any sort of power we can give you," Teacher said.

"Thanks," Jen said flatly. Teacher smiled, missing the sarcasm entirely. She was probably too used to Chiku's translations of Jen's emotions by now.

"So… when do I start?" Jen asked. Din's aid looked at a small metal mirror before Nayru's could call up an image.

"Right… Now."

And the dream shattered.

()()()

Jen awoke the second time to the sound of sirens and screaming in the distance. She rushed to the window, where the distant view of the Portal was swirling red and black. As she watched, the portal spat out another platoon of Bokoblins.

"Oh my god!" she screamed, covering her mouth with her hands. She hurried over to the closet, but misjudged her speed and slammed hard into the wall.

"What the-?" she muttered to herself as she nursed a bruise on her shin. The frizzy-haired teen looked down at herself in alarm. She did seem more muscular than usual… Jen immediately thought back to when in an interview with Captain America, he mentioned that directly after he received the serum, he was clumsy and disoriented for a few hours afterwards. With the sudden realization, she groaned.

"The city doesn't even have a few hours if those things find the Light. What would that be, anyway?" she thought to herself with more than a hint of irritation, righting a nightstand.

Apparently, the creatures didn't know either, and the sirens were getting louder by the second. She yanked clothes off their hangers, sometimes accidentally breaking them, in her hurry to grab something mission-worthy comfortable and to pack a bag with necessities. Jen grabbed clothes, her spare toiletries bag, a hunting dagger, her best Swiss army knife, and her "emergency pack", which included most of the rest of whatever she'd need.

While getting out her stuff, the paranoid packer suddenly realized she didn't have a bag big enough for all her necessities. Jen started to put stuff back, then she realized she could use a Dimensional Distortion spell to make the bag lighter and infinitely roomier. She pulled out a sharpie from a doodle bag she planned to bring, and wrote the rune on the bag, beginning to chant under her breath in Old High Goddess Hylian. Jen knew the words easily and quickly, and in no time she was finished.

She opened the bag to examine her work, pleased to find it feather-light and large enough to fit her. Jen had just stepped out when she passed out.

"Jen, you're such an idiot," was the first thing Teacher said when she explained what happened, "That spell is remarkably complex, and to make it infinitely large… You're lucky you didn't burn up channeling so much magic."

"Sorry," the impulsive teen muttered. Sensei sighed and put her head in her hands, while Master struggled to get her laughter under control.

"Look, we can replenish your magic for now, but promise me you won't try to do something that big again without a good reason. For now, the spell stopped short of infinite space due to the fact that you used sharpie rather than the fairy water ink, but you can't try that again anytime soon, okay?" she said as if talking to a child as she began to channel magic back into her body.

"Okay," Jen muttered just before she woke back up.

She finished packing relatively quickly, as she was able to throw in the stuff she needed and ditched other things. Realizing she was still in her pajamas, she grabbed one of the few outfits in her wardrobe and threw them on, almost ripping them at the seams as she struggled to keep her strength under control. In the end, she wore a gender-neutral outfit consisting of a t-shirt, a leather jacket, heavy pants, a pair of broad tinted sunglasses, a black plaid bandana, gloves, a boy's hooded winter coat (stolen on accident from a neighbor) and a pair of well-worn and comfortable waterproofed leather boots. Jen had on her new Pokémon cap, with the coat's hood up to mostly hide her frizzy mass of hair.

It was cold outside, and she looked stupid. Her secret identity would be safe, she could fight in this, but she looked stupid. Oh, well.

Jen checked the time. 6:46. She nodded to herself as she slipped out the window under the cover of early dawn. The day was crisp and clear, but she couldn't control her movements for her life. Jen blundered through the underbrush like a lost bear trying to perform ballet, or in her case, sneak like she used to be able to.

She eventually gave up, taking off her bandana, hat, and sunglasses and called up an Uber. It took him a few minutes, and he couldn't believe she wanted to go to nearly ground 0 of the impending attack, but he still agreed.

"Seriously? I mean, I can pay you extra if you want…" she offered as she climbed into the car. The man, fairly young and Indian-looking, shrugged and smiled.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've gotten a strange request. Besides, I just want to get payed for once." Jen shut the door as he typed in the location, the Avengers Tower.

"Really? What did you do before? Who didn't pay you?" she asked him, settling into her seat.

"I was a taxi driver, and this man I drove would always give me advice on how to be popular. He was pretty racist now that I think about him," he said, starting the car and beginning to drive. She didn't press him further, consumed in how she'd deal with hordes of monsters on her own. Jen only broke out of her thoughts when he spoke, halfway through the ride.

"So, what are you doing going into the city at this hour?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I dunno, really. A few people asked me to do a huge favor for them, and I think I can save the city as well as another dimension. It's a long story, and no, I'm not under any influence," she replied.

He's not going to believe you, you're distrustful and spiteful and – no, shut up. Worst that can happen is he doesn't believe me and I laugh it off.

The taxi driver shrugged again.

"I didn't think you were. You seem like a nice enough girl who can think for herself." Jen blushed and stared at the other side of the road as they went. There was traffic from hundreds of thousands of fleeing citizens clogged the road, and no one was going in the direction they were. They caught interesting stares, and she waved in response. Other than that, there was nothing new. The ride was over too quickly, and they quickly reached a police barrier. A burly officer rapped on the driver side window sharply.

"What the hell are you doing? Don't you know what's going on? It's hell in there!" The officer yelled as her driver (she already forgot his name, oops) rolled down his window.

"Ah, okay, then. I guess this is your stop, then," he told her as she unlocked the door, thanking him profusely. The officer was nowhere near as calm, and he directed his attention to her as she got up and started to walk into the corrupted city.

"Hey, hey, hey, what do you think you're doing, kid? Don't you see what's going on? Hey, HEY! GET BACK HERE!" he yelled as she collected her things and (stumbled) sprinted past the barrier, hurtling (tripping) over cars and dodging (falling over) cones. As she ran, she began to see the evidence of the panic ensuing throughout the city. Stores stood empty, some even looted, and people fled from an unseen enemy ahead of her. As she sprinted and stumbled, she received several strange looks from the runners.

"What's a kid doing here?"

"Get, back! Follow us!"

"Don't get yourself killed!"

Jen quickly got tired of the attention, hiding in an alleyway, slipping on her identity-hiding gear.

It was at that moment that she realized the only good weapon she had was that hunting dagger. Groaning, she pulled it out of her bag, as part of the enchantment was to summon what she wanted instantly. She turned it over in her hand, wondering what she should do, when she remembered a spell that could turn it into a compass for the useful item she needed. It was simple enough, and she could make it easier and have it non-permanent.

But then again… she passed out on the expansion charm...

Useless, can't even manage the simplest charms or spells, what use are – Oh shut up, Karen.

Oh well. Jen knew she needed a weapon before she could fight even a miniblin squad. She didn't even really need a rune if it's supposed to be non-permanent, so it couldn't be that bad, right?

The second she finished the spell, the blade hummed with power and floated an inch off her palm and began to spin like a confused compass before settling due west. She looked up, noticing nothing… Until she climbed to the top of the building next to her. It was a clumsy, nerve-wracking ordeal that involved lots of swearing, but once Jen was at the top, she used her knife again, and she gasped when she saw where it was pointed.

Her little compass was aiming directly at Lady Liberty and the bright glow emanating from its torch. The tall statue, though practically mystical with its brightness, had hordes of dark monsters crawling over her metal dress like a swarm of ants. Just as unfortunately for her, the people currently fighting the monsters were getting nowhere in stopping the creatures. Every so often, a group of monsters would fall, only to be replaced with yet another band of a different monster.

"Well, no one said it would be easy," she muttered to herself, the sound snatched from her ears by the wind and her muffling bandana. Jen climbed down slowly, traversing the nearly empty streets, listening intently for any sign of peril. She heard only the wailing of sirens and the shrill shriek of far-off dying monsters caught on the wind. She walked for what felt like an eternity through the formerly familiar streets until she came to the Target she'd visited just yesterday.

The final few people on the street had long gone, either corralled into the subways or taken off the battlefield entirely. Jen alone stared up at the abandoned building. It had taken on a haunted, ancient look as an unnatural fog crept over the city, and inside she could see evidence of looting. Regardless, she stepped through the smashed doors (really, why? Its automatic anyway!) and into the dim white hall.

All the lights were out, casting odd dark shadows in places they didn't belong. Things were thrown around haphazardly, and she barely choked down a growl of disgust. No one was there to blame her, though. Her pristine little escape looked like a tornado had ripped through it. A loud clatter from the Kitchen section made her jump.

"You know what, maybe a knife-stick would be better than nothing," she thought to herself as she passed a bunch of hiking sticks. Jen grabbed a long one and a roll of duct tape and set to work making a better weapon.

When it was finished, she couldn't help but groan in dismay. It didn't look that promising, really. She'd managed to find a long stick with a natural curve to hold the knife, but it was held in place by only duct tape and determination, neither of which could last for long. It looked more like a tool than a weapon. Regardless, her new "weapon" and she went to investigate the commotion.

Her footsteps echoed through the barren building; she wasn't trying to hide anymore. The clatter was replaced by high-pitched chattering, giving away not only the monster, but its position.

Jen leapt up to the top of a shelf just in time for a squad of miniblins to come around the corner, little tridents spearing the air intimidatingly. This species looked like furry, colorful, pear-shaped goat-hamsters with large heads seemingly too big for its body. They wouldn't be that much of a threat…

If I had my weapon. Which is currently being threatened by a horde of bigger, stronger monsters.

The stupid fricking Goddesses couldn't have given me even the smallest damn bit of help.

She shook her head to clear the thoughts. Even without her yari, she took out the little devils quickly. Jen literally just stood on the top of the rack and speared downward. Miniblins were never much for dealing or taking hits, and were only scary if they cornered you or if you were injured. She could have used her dagger to… No, actually staying out of their range would be better than going melee on them. Those little tridents could do some serious damage.

When the last one died, though, it left behind a small pouch, which she quickly found to be full of bombs. Maybe her luck was changing, but she couldn't be to sure. Jen took their weapons, improving her own weapon by taping one of the tridents to the hiking pole she was using. Now she had a two-sided knife-stick, which was more her speed.

As she finished the last of her DIY project, though, a shifting of paper in a nearby backroom made her pause. Suspicious of any new developments in the store, she crept close to the door before throwing it wide open and jumping back, spear ready to stab and slice. As she opened the door, a knife whizzed by her face with deadly accuracy, impaling a nearby clothes dummy through the chest. Before Jen could even gulp, however, a human came barreling out of the room, armed to the teeth. The cashier's eyes met Jen's through her glasses and the woman tensed.

"WOAH WOAH WOAH WAIT I'M HUMAN!" Jen yelled, shaking off her sunglasses. The employee, who she suddenly recognized to be the cashier who'd swiped her stuff yesterday, Lisa, paused and hesitantly lowered her knives as Jen lowered her spear.

"What's your name," she asked, her voice shaking but firm. Jen shrugged.

"I can't really tell you, sorry. It'd ruin the whole "incognito" thing I'm going for," she replied casually but breathlessly, slipping the sunglasses back onto her face, "Really, though, the real question here is what are you doing still here? I just took out a flipping squad of 'blins not three yards away from that room there," she added, pointing first to the wrecked kitchen appliance aisle and back to Lisa. She blinked at her.

"Blins?" she asked. Jen backed up.

"Woah, I'm asking questions first," she said. Lisa's gaze flattened angrily, but she responded nicely enough. Must be the experience working in retail.

"I work here, okay? My shift starts at six, and I didn't think anything would go this badly. So, what were those things? I deserve to know at least this." Jennifer sighed, but nodded.

"Okay. The things attacking the city are different classes of extraterrestrial monsters, parasites even on their own homeworld. Those little things with the tridents are members of a monster class called Blins. They include the Miniblins, the Bokoblins, and the Moblin among others. They're just cannon fodder, mostly. The ones to look out for are the Darknuts, which are a dog-like intelligent warrior race, or the Wizzrobes, which use elemental magic to eliminate their targets. In my opinion, the carnivorous plants called the Deku are the worst. Think Venus flytrap but more mobile. I'm currently heading to the statue of liberty to stop this from going from bad to worse," she replied matter-of-factly, "Do you have any weapons I can use? My usual one is currently under siege at the Statue of Liberty." Lisa looked incredulous and surprised, but ushered her into her hideout.

Jen looked in and gasped happily. The room wasn't too large, but literally anything she could have asked for was in there. There was non perishable food, water, blankets, and best of all, survival weapons. Professionally made high-grade survival tools meant to take on anything a hunting trip could throw at you. She rushed quickly at a nearby box of knives, picking out the best blades and attaching them to a nearby box of solid long handles, making many good spears she could use later. She removed most of the larger junk from her bag and packed up on food and water, making sure to leave plenty of room for more stuff.

Once she finished packing, Jen turned around to find Lisa staring at her.

"What? Never seen a magic bag before? Works like a TARDIS, isn't that cool?" she replied to her stunned expression. She turned to leave when Lisa said in a quiet voice, "Jennifer? Is that you?"

Jennifer froze in place.

"Busted"

"Holy crap, Jennifer, what kind of shit have you gotten yourself into?" she said with the grief of a friend mourning for the loss of another.

"Nothing that wasn't planned by someone else. I'll be fine," Jen said in a cold voice. She looked incredulous and panicked. Lisa had known her since she first came here a few years ago, and she really liked her. Jen could tell that at the moment, the feeling wasn't mutual.

"Yes, you might be able to make it out, your family can come pick you up once you're done having fun out there, but what about me? Wh-what if a-a-a Darknut or a Wizzyrobe comes?! You clearly know about these things, but what about the innocent people trapped here?" she hissed breathlessly, in a scared-for-you-life-furious kind of way. Jen stood there a minute longer before daring to breathe an answer

"I'll take you to the nearest safe place. Pack up whatever you can and I'll take you out of danger. I'll tell you what I want you to do when we get there." She looked hesitant, but quickly rushed out to grab a shopping cart. This side quest would be easy, really. All the monsters were probably looting another shop and wouldn't care about two mostly unarmed humans. Jen followed her lead, though, using her newly freed dagger to pry off the locking device from the cart. Jen helped with hers, and they grabbed food and water off the shelves in silence. She used up whatever space she had left in her bag to collect hygiene items and clothes, strapping more bags of the stuff to the carts.

The humans came to the door. Lisa looked terrified, but she took the lead, gently pushing her cart ahead of her firmly. If you don't come now, you'll be left behind. She got her implied message and hurried to follow her.

The nearest subway station was not far, maybe five to ten minutes away from the store. The problem was that it was more likely that the police had set up an entrance much further from the terror by the Statue. As She'd predicted, the subway entrance was solidly barricaded with rubble from a nearby construction site. So was the next one, and the next. Finally, almost 45 minutes away, they came to a green iron gate. The sun had finally fully risen (she thought), providing some sparse natural light. Unfortunately, the clouds reflected her mood, and the grey sky didn't let the sun through.

"Alright, before you go, I need you to promise me something," she told Lisa, who looked desperate to get underground.

"What?" she snapped. Her ears went back unconsciously in irritation.

"Since I protected you, you need to protect me. Forget her name and face. Forget I rescued you from the store. Forget what just happened, and forget the stuff I told you. Tell the police you came alone, okay? That's her end of the deal." she said testily. Jen dumped out the stuff she'd brought for the refugees and ran away at her top speed, not waiting to hear her answer. She could hear her furiously pounding on the metal and screaming for help behind her, but she was already gone.

The top of the Statue of Liberty was surrounded by a black cloud that encircled most of the area around the portal. Occasionally, red lightning flashed toward the ground, and where it struck the ground the earth burned. Avoiding monsters had gotten harder, and she'd fought against more monsters than she'd ever hoped she would have to in her entire life. Luckily, with her new spears she was more confident to try her skills, taking down multiple at a time as she dual-wielded the light weapons.

But the Statue itself looked like hell once she got close enough. Burn marks and craters from the lightning pockmarked the road and debris clogged what wasn't destroyed. The buildings directly underneath the portal were barely more than rocks at this point, and the others were taking their fair share of damage, too. Picking through the streets, between the lightning, rocks, monsters, and even the random body (she tried her hardest not to look if it was human or not) made it nearly impossible.

So her current emotional status was down the toilet.

"Why did I say yes? Was I being controlled again? I must've been, somehow." she brooded, clambering through the mess that used to be a Gap. Jen climbed over a particularly large chunk of rubble, sliding down the other end and rolling to stop her momentum, accidentally slicing her arm open on a shard of glass nearby. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, telling herself, "It's okay, just a scratch on your arm. You've received much worse, it's fine. Just walk it off." Continuing to mutter in her head, she washed it off with some water and wrapped it in a small chunk of her miles of bandages.

As she walked distractedly, she wandered too close to a nearby Bokoblin squad, who squealed when they saw her. Jen looked up just in time for a purple-skinned Blin to swing its short sword at her. She danced out of the way just in time, nearly tripping over herself in her haste to put distance between her and the sword's business end and to take out her own weapons.

From the relative cover of a piece of what used to be a floor, she thought over her options of how to fight these things. There were about six of them, four with clubs and two with those short spears. The more obvious threat were the spears, and she decided to thin out their numbers before she took them on directly. As their grunting got closer, she gripped the shaft of her knife-stick, waiting for them to get close enough. As it got in close, she struck out with her weapon at the approximate height of its chest.

On the end of her spear, pierced like a fish on a hook and looking very surprised, was a purple-skinned monster. As it dissolved into dust, she leapt out with as much speed as she could, whirling her weapon faster and faster as she dodged both their defense and collective offense. Jen lingered for only a few seconds, back flipping out of their circle around her. She'd taken out two more of the creatures, leaving one sword and two clubs. They stalked closer to her without fear or hesitation, like the soldiers they were meant to be.

For a second, she felt a pang of pity for these monsters. They had no choice but to obey their orders, and they would only end up on the end of her weapon afterwards. She shook it off and lunged at the remaining sword. He avoided it barely and hacked a laugh, which she cut off as she swung the long end of the blade at it, catching him in the side. As that one fell to the side with a gurgle, she switched her attention to the remaining two of the squadron. Still ignorant to their team mate's demise, they approached her with their weapons raised. Jen lunged.

Thwack. Chack.

The Bokoblins dead, she took whatever stuff remained in their bags. Nothing really, just a few bits of jerky, stolen jewelry from a nearby shop, and a small animal skull. She wasn't interested in their weapons.

Jennifer looked at her watch. It was about 9 in the morning. The cloud around the original portal had extended to the waterline and formed a circle around the Statue of Liberty, lightning flickering around the fight. She was close to the water, and she could just make out the smoking husk of the Helicarrier. Her eye twitched. She cursed inwardly.

"Wasn't I supposed to get there? Wasn't that where Midna was located? I hope she made it out okay..." she thought in a quick stream of concepts. The lone fighter looked over to the Statue of Liberty. The dress was half covered in monsters, but the Avengers continued to valiantly try to hold them off. She began running again, testing out her strength and speed. Jen preformed back and front flips easily, dodged left and right, and performed a few of her yari moves. All of it came fluidly and easily, like she'd just done it yesterday.

She might have become cocky, though.

Jen began to actively track down and attack monsters, which were mostly just Blins and Keese anyway, taking them out quickly. She challenged a Darknut (got slammed into the floor and ran away), a Wizzrobe (lost a spear that way), and a Blin commander on multiple occasions, too. The closer to the dress she got, the more she had to fight, and the more she got tired. Jen had just finished avoiding a fight with her second Darknut when her second spear blade snapped off the handle.

Forced to take a break and dig around for another blade and handle, the overexcited girl realized she'd been not only exhausting herself physically, but that she'd been fighting with magic as well and burned through it, leaving her unable to heal herself quickly. Not only that, but the statue had maybe a third of its surface left. She could just make out Thor, Hulk, and Iron Man knocking monsters off the statue, but she couldn't see Hawkeye or Black Widow.

"Hey, Jen," came a voice from behind her. Jen just about jumped off the building as she recognized Barton.

"Oh fuck" she hissed to herself as she slowly put down the knife and duct tape. She turned around to face him, a false smile on her face, and her heart sank as she saw Black Widow on an adjacent building. Her smile became plastered to her face.

"H-hi," she stammered, an explanation trying to force its way out of her throat. Hawkeye looked pretty unhappy, covered in dirt and monster residue. He fixed her with a stare that made her want to run.

"So, you have a lot to explain," he said simply. Jen gulped.

"Um, I, uh… Well, its p-pretty hard to explain…" she stammered discursively. All she wanted to do was sink into a pit right here. She'd much rather fight that horde on Lady Liberty than face Clinton Barton right now.

"Explain it," he snapped uncharacteristically. She flinched, dropping her eyes to the roof.

"W-well, I may or may not have trained for this since I was five…" She trailed off when she didn't know how to continue. Hawkeye didn't fill the silence, so Jen did.

"Well, the portal leads to a place that… may or may not be magical… and those may or may not be literal demons from a different realm of reality of that land… and there's this madman trying to take over everything for himself…" The words were tumbling out of her mouth faster now. Clint looked more and more taken aback, and Black Widow's eyes kept narrowing.

Jen powered on. "…and that world's goddesses went to me to become their newest member of the Hero of Legend group to help save their world from the encroaching Twilight because the other guy's trapped in a prison cell at the bottom of a palace where the true princess is being held as well and apparently if things had gone normally, Midna would have rescued him and have been back home by now but things aren't normal and she accidentally made a portal here because it's also got magic and… um… She was on the Helicarrier but it kinda… b-blew up and… I need to go find her to stop this from going even worse. I swear I didn't have anything to do with this!" she finished, feeling more and more trapped and stupid by the second. Hawkeye let out a breath.

"That's not much of an explanation, Jenny," he said quietly. Jen grimaced and shrugged, though mercifully, he continued.

"But. I can understand why you're scared to talk. You're not in trouble with me, though, and I can vouch for you when I regroup with the team. Just tell us the whole story, okay?" he said soothingly, but firmly. Jen nodded shakily and took a steadying breath.

"It's a long story, though," she said. He shrugged.

"Make it shorter then."

She frowned, but thought up a way to skim over enough to clue him in.

"Okay. I don't know every one of the details myself yet, but I'll do my best to explain what I know," she started, arms raised expressively, "That imp that came in is a refugee from the reign of a delusional Twilian called Zant. She has nothing to do with this, okay? But she has everything to do with fixing it. In a normal timeline, Midna would have escaped to a place called Hyrule just after it was taken over by Zant, because the land would be covered in his world's shadows, allowing her to survive there. She would have freed the future Hero of Legend and helped him on his quest to save the world. But that didn't happen.

"Instead, she made a portal here, which should have been impossible, really, and never freed the Hero, letting Zant's influence spread like a virus through the portal to here. Those monsters are his army. That army is practically invincible because he can magically summon more when they die. To stop the army, we need to stop Zant and cut him off from whatever power is allowing him to create this fighting force. Also, that light coming from the Statue of Liberty is very important. If it is taken by the Monsters, we will cease to have a place in the surrounding area, as New York will be plunged into Twilight, and us turned into Wisps, get it?" Jen rambled.

Hawkeye sat down, and Black Widow had jumped over to their roof to listen better. The two shared a look, and when they looked back at her, Natasha nodded but Clint shook his head. He received an elbow to the ribs. Jen bit down on laughter, instead pursing her lips, trying to think of a way to sum it up. Her hands came up in a praying position over her lips, begging them to believe it.

Hawkeye started. "Okay, so if I understand what you're trying to say, you mean that in order to really stop these monsters, we have to release that possibly dangerous shadow thing, let it take us to a monster-infested place that's not even habitable anymore, and help it stop the insane plan of… who was it again? Zant? To help save not only our world, but a world that not even Thor would know about," Clinton said before she could say anything. Even to her, she sounded crazy. Jen shrugged helplessly.

"Well, when you say it like that, I sound completely crazy, but I'm not. I swear," she said pleadingly. Hawkeye laughed.

"I didn't mean it like that, kiddo. That's the most fun-sounding adventure I could hope-OOF," Clint replied with mounting enthusiasm before receiving an even more devastating elbow to the sternum. Black Widow stood much taller than Jen did, and the smaller teen quailed under her shadow.

"Let's just get this over with," the Russian ex-assassin muttered as she walked past her. Romanoff paused at the edge of the roof, and turned to talk to Jen again, "Kid, are you coming or what?" Thrilled, Jen leapt off the roof after her, closely followed by a still-gasping Hawkeye. They walked a while, ironing out the details of Jen's story, occasionally watching her take out a squadron of monsters in relative silence, until Natasha asked her about the knife stick she was currently using.

"Hey, Jen, is that the weapon you're using? Its… decently made, for such short notice, but if this turns into a long quest like you say it will, you'll need a proper weapon." Jen's ears burned at both the praise and the embarrassing explanation as she replied,

"I… should have my weapon somewhere… I've been lead to believe that I'll get it if I… we actually manage to get rid of all the monsters…" she stammered, turning red. Natasha sighed.

"How convenient. They tell you to fight but neglect to give back your weapon. Not to mention your weakened magic makes it hard to make another one," she muttered blandly. Jen suddenly felt uncomfortable standing too close to her, and shuffled over next to Clint in silence.

She began to space out for a few minutes at a time, only broken out of her stupor when Nat or Clint said something. Don't ask how, but she began to find the cycle of death and destruction monotonous. She often wandered in front of her new chaperons, much to their dismay, and sometimes attracted the attention of more dangerous monsters as we got closer to what used to be a ferry.

Jen didn't even notice the portal above her until the trap was sprung.

Her mind had again begun to wander off the battlefield, this time to what she'd have to tell the other Avengers. Would they believe her? Would she accidentally mess up? What would happen then? She knew she could fail at this, but what happens if she did? Does the world succumb to darkness? Would it manage to survive somehow?

Jen was so deep in thought, she didn't pay heed to both Natasha and Clint calling her back. She'd wandered into an open area strangely devoid of any monsters or debris.

Slam. She was shaken from her thoughts when a tree-sized pillar covered in runes implanted itself from the air above her, followed closely by multiple others, trapping her in a magical cage. From the outside, Natasha and Clint beat at the barrier to no avail.

Jen tried to remain calm. She'd faced worse, after all. She looked around to see if she could use anything to escape, but found nothing. Above her, a red portal opened up, spitting out three dark shapes that hurtled to the ground above her. Jen clutched her spear tighter as she recognized them as Shadow Beasts, the creatures Zant had created from Dark magic.

With a roar, she faked a lunge at the first one, circling around to its unprotected back and stabbing as hard as she could at its neck. When it went down, she leapt away from the fallen creature. As she'd expected, it didn't dissolve immediately. She turned to the other two, noticing that Clint had fired an arrow into a nearby tree that had a rope attached to it that Natasha was climbing.

"GUYS! I HAVE TO KILL BOTH AT THE SAME TIME! IF ONE LIVES, IT'LL REVIVE THE REST!" Jen yelled at Nat, dodging a swipe from one of the monsters. Unseen to them, Natasha had pulled out a knife, passed one to Clint, and crept up to the one on her left while he took the right one.

In the meantime, the spear-woman was being backed into a corner. As the two Avengers rushed forward, she struggled not to simply jump over the monsters, which would ruin the duo's entire plan. They were not that far, either, but with the monsters looming closer with each loping step, she wasn't feeling very courageous.

The left one's claw came up just as Natasha's knife flashed in the dim sunlight. Jen's eyes were screwed shut, and all she heard was a screech and the thump of its body. Jen's eyes didn't open until she heard the soft poff of it dissolving. Jennifer opened her eyes slowly, marveling at the way the flakes of darkness simply hovered. The barrier fell unceremoniously on the ground, the rune-covered pillars useless without their magic.

"Okay, moving on, time to do that again," Clint yelled, breaking the silence as a group of monsters nearby came to investigate the commotion. The grunting, squealing gang of about twenty or so members consisted of all the species of monster, though mostly the evolved ones that she'd been seeing more recently. There were even a few Darknuts and Wizzrobes. Clinton and Jen shared a look as they sank into their fighting positions. Natasha sighed heavily.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG

Jen flinched as the sound of Black Widow's gun shattered the battle-ready silence Hawkeye and she were going for. It was brutal but effective, taking down three Darknuts through the eyehole in their armor and a Wizzrobe in the shadowy hood. The more intelligent monsters backed away for a moment, allowing her to take them on as Natasha and Clint covered her.

As she speared the last of the monsters, a Moblin, she noticed a sudden shift in the tide of monsters. They were no longer 2/3rds of the way up lady liberty, but surrounding a winged, two headed spirit guardian with a brilliant ball of light clutched in its feet. They weren't far, maybe a mile or so, but the fighters wouldn't make it no matter what.

"Guys…" she started nervously, watching as the light was snatched by a shadow beast that had escaped the wrath of the other Avengers. As its claw reached over to the light in slow motion, a fog began to race through New York.

With a brilliant flash of light, a searing pain, and a shriek, everything faded to black.


	11. Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New York is down, but its heroes are just starting.

When Midna came to after a dreamless sleep, she thought to herself, 'Why in the name of the Light Realm do I pass out to every single stimulus in this place?'

Midna rose off of her feet, bobbing in the air as she looked to discover where she was. It was a bit larger, and significantly less bland than her previous haunt; it was lit only by the glow of the world outside but from what she could make out it was a well-furnished room with a view of the city.

Unfortunately, whereas the last time She'd seen it the city had been almost painfully bright, it was lit by the signature bleakness that was the Twilight Realm.

The exiled princess groaned.

"And here I thought today would be mediocre at least," she hissed under her breath as she took in the screeches of monsters, "But at least I'm corporeal."

Midna flitted around the room, looking for an exit. Something flashed in her peripheral, alerting her to another presence. She flinched when she noticed a large mirror behind an even larger collection of bottles containing amber liquid. It was the first time she learned of her own reflection, and she wasn't pleased. The shade before her looked like a crude imitation of her former glory, but the dimensions and proportions were all wrong.

Midna fiercely turned her gaze away from the horrible truth in the mirror and continued to examine the large room. There was no one in there and no way out.

She began to push the windows, hoping one of them would give. Eventually, she began to fiddle with the pieces of metal on the bottom, hoping for a result.

BOOM CRACK

She jumped as a large chunk of the wall was ripped away behind her, letting in a bunch of humans. Midna could just barely make out their outline in the Twilight, and, with a shock of horror, she recognized the metal armor that had gotten her into this predicament in the first place. She jumped into the air as fast as she could to avoid it, ducking behind a nearby chunk of the wall.

There were five figures that she could make out, each looking defeated. Four of them sat heavily on the couches while the metal man went to the bar with the (probably alcoholic) liquids. Midna remained as calm as she could while the others chattered with increasing intensity. She peeked through a hole in the wreckage to spy on them.

The metal man had returned to them and was nursing his drink, not saying a word; the archer and the red-haired one were switching between talking to each other and making statements to the others; one she didn't recognize was rocking back and forth lightly in his seat, wearing only a pair of pants that had seen better days; the last one, whom she recognized as Thor, was bellowing at the others loudly, looking thunderous.

Her gaze wandered to a slight form on the table between them, unmoving. The longer she looked at it, the less alive it seemed. Overall, it looked humanoid except for some major differences. For one, it was far too small, and was covered in a light layer of downy black and tan fur. Its breathing was shallow and slow. She didn't have a great view, and it was wearing the remains of human's clothing, but she could make out a flattened nose and sharp canines poking out of its lips.

Really, it looked like a were-hound, only smaller.

Whatever frantic conversation the humans were having, it was almost certainly about it. It had their complete attention. Possibly enough so to escape this conversation.

Feeling steadily more frightened and awkward, she crept away from her cover and moved to the hole in the wall, hoping to slip away. Just when she'd thought she was home free, Midna noticed their conversation reach a pitch. Panicked, she turned around, praying that she hadn't been seen.

The imp noticed two things immediately. The first things she noticed were that she wasn't in trouble, and in fact their attention was focused on the animal on the table, which had begun to stir.

Her interest piqued, she hid just outside the window so she could escape if seen. The creature opened its dull eyes and looked around. Midna could see more of it now. What she thought was fur was actually just its skin, with black marks around its eyes and forehead. The creature had black limbs with silver marks, as well as long ears poking out of a curly head of hair. It yawned, exposing razor-sharp teeth, and stretched lazily, shaking itself. It caught the gaze of one of the others and suddenly leapt to its feet and looked around. The others surrounding it began to chatter at it and to each other loudly, and the monster began to shrink into itself, and seemed to want to vanish… Then it did.

"What?" Midna said to herself, as the creature suddenly blinked back into sight, looking startled. It shook itself, looked around, and froze.

It was staring right at her.

Nervously, Midna drifted out of view, wondering absently where the portal was. Midna bit her lip and decided to approach the monster. However, when she peeked into the window, it was gone again. The others didn't seem to have luck finding it, either, so it must have gone invisible again. Strange.

A slight growl from her right, where the hole in the wall was, drew her attention. To her surprise, the creature stood there, beckoning her back in. Midna frowned and shook her head. The creature's wine-dark gaze intensified.

"I know that face!" Midna thought with a start, which she hid with a lazily raised eyebrow. She sighed dramatically and floated back in. Midna landed right next to it just before it danced away a few paces, over to the middle of the room. Again, to her astonishment, the others made no hint that they saw it. Hesitantly, she came closer, in full sight of the group to her left, and still they didn't notice them. As if understanding her confusion, the monster flicked her hand at them as Midna hovered to its left. Up close, the creature didn't seem that significant. It was shorter than the other humans, likely much shorter than Midna's true form. The only differences to its form from the humans were the teeth, eyes, markings, and ears.

When the two came to what seemed like a wall, but must've been a door, the creature stopped and waved at a metal bar above the door. After it seemingly failed to do what it had hoped would happen, it began to claw at where the door had failed to close the whole way, pushing it open just enough for her to slip through. From the other side of the door, it beckoned her to follow but didn't wait as it jogged down the hall. Midna rolled her eyes, burst into flakes of magic, and reappeared as she followed it.

"So, what do you want?" she asked lazily as she floated around it after the two had escaped the room. It didn't reply, instead, it turned the corner and began to walk down a long flight of stairs. Irritated, Midna appeared right in front of it as it was walking.

"Well, your majesty, if you feel that question was below you, then where are we going? You can at least give me some sort of answer for that, right?" she mocked bitingly as it began to walk down another flight of stairs. It paused, then looked at her and flicked its head towards a nearby door across the hall. It paused in front of it, pushing down on the handle. When it wouldn't open, it slammed its shoulder into it until it crashed off its hinges.

They had made it out of the building, but the human-thing wasn't stopping. Instead, she continued down the street, jumping over pieces of scattered rubble. The former shade followed, interested.

"So, where to now?" Midna asked. In reply, the monster faced a seemingly random direction, then turned down another street. She found herself quickly lost in this unfamiliar stone city, and followed the monster closely. A thought occurred to her.

"Hey, are you a guy or a girl?" she asked suddenly. The creature stopped, confused at her question, "Well, I can't keep calling you "it" or "Creature", ya know? So, are you a guy or a girl?" The thing nodded its head. Midna felt a muscle in her face twitch.

"It's not that hard to understand, is it? Are you male or female?" It nodded again, and Midna felt an overwhelming urge to strangle it, which she quickly suppressed.

"Okay, let's try this again, shall we? Are you a guy?" The canine-human-thing shook its head.

"Then you're a "she". Glad we had this talk. You can keep going, now," she said as she motioned for it to keep walking. It turned and trotted at a brisk pace down the broken streets that became more torn up as they continued.

Of course, it wasn't long before they two faced a few enemies. They were a pair of horribly corrupted bipedal creatures, almost scampering about on all fours as blackness poured off them. She escaped to the top of the nearest building as quickly as she could, revolted that such monsters could exist. The creature glared at her before facing down the creatures, baring her teeth. The monsters, seemingly unconcerned with the act of aggression, raised their clubs and charged at it.

The creature narrowly avoided becoming a pancake by leaping between them, letting them crash into the wall behind her as she whirled about, slashing with its claws at their unprotected backs. With twin howls of pain and rage, they faced it again, bright fuchsia blood leaking from their wounds. They charged Midna's creature again, and again it leapt between them, letting them trip over a pile of rubble. But this time, only one of them got back up. The other lay impaled by a protruding piece of metal in a fallen stone, piercing it through the neck. As it exploded into shards of magic, the other sought to end the fight.

Instead of charging, it swung its weapon in front of it as it walked menacingly forward, forcing her into a wall. The princess' heart rate quickened, and she briefly considered facing the monster herself, when the creature took its chance and leapt for the monster's briefly unprotected neck. In a complicated throw, it managed to get its claws to the monster's neck and dragged a long, deep slash through the soft tissue. As the Blin disintegrated more peacefully into magic ash, the blood around its hands vanished as well.

Midna jumped off the roof she'd been observing the fight from and delicately hovered in front of the victorious creature.

"Well, it seems you aren't useless in a fight after all! Hahahaha!" she chuckled. The thing growled something to itself that might have been a comeback, and trotted again down the road. Midna smirked and followed closely behind. The road was nearly gone by this point, replaced by sharp stones that cut at the creature's legs and dust that choked Midna's lungs as it kicked it up.

"Be careful where you're kicking that stuff!" Midna complained as it shifted a particularly large pile of ash, sending it excitedly into the air. The creature turned to her and sneezed, staring Midna in the eyes. It turned and continued down the road more quickly than before, weaving between rubble gracefully. The floating imp zipped after her easily, the wild light brown and black of its hair providing a beacon for her to follow.

They were silent for a long time, mostly because of the creature's unwillingness to respond to any more of her questions. Whatever was left of the road had disintegrated into sand, sharp stones and never-ending clouds of dust and ash. Strangely, they weren't running into any monsters anymore, despite their close proximity to the portal.

Speaking of which, it didn't seem to be any less active than before, but its color had dulled to a bleak maroon. The skies around it looked like they were being sucked into the dark mass, and the twilight around it seemed… dry, like all the color was being sucked into it. It was maybe a half-mile or a mile away, but from here she could feel her energy being sapped, and she sagged to the ground. The other, noticing her exhaustion, slowed her pace.

The sound of shifting rubble and low grunts startled both of them, and Midna jumped into the air as the creature snarled and backed away from the large figure in front of them. Midna recognized it as a big blin, but only by its base appearance. Everything about it seemed to be twisted into a nightmare. The monster before them looked to be in horrible pain, with its back hunched and bones protruding from its spine and joints, as well as most other places. One of the thing's arms ended in a single, wickedly sharp bone blade, and its opposite foot seemed to have undergone a similar transformation. Fresh blood, its own dark fluid, flowed from the spikes of its arms and down its back and limbs. Its teeth also seemed to be longer, and its eyes were covered by a bone plate that glowed with magic patterns like eyes. Its skin was a pallid shade of grey. A low gurgle emanated from its throat as it surveyed its prey.

As it limped closer to them, Midna could feel Twilian magic flowing off of it like poison, sending an extra shiver crawling up her back. How dare he abuse his ancestor's powers like this. As Midna continued to examine this disturbing specimen from a safe distance in the air, she felt her hot fear be replaced with a cold rage. Midna was shaking, now, and as she watched her creature desperately avoid its lopsided attacks, she could feel a strange magic flowed in her limbs, igniting her veins with its power.

"Get away," Midna growled, pooling the magic in her clasped palms. Her creature, noticing Midna's upcoming attack, jumped away the monster, leaving it confused and off-balance.

Midna's first attack ripped open its unprotected stomach in a vertical slash and knocking it onto its back. The second flare of magic was even stronger than the first, and cut it in half. With a thunderous boom, the monster exploded, scattering magic shards in all directions. Pieces whizzed by her, but all of them missed. Midna realized she was panting hard, and sank to the ground to rest. The creature appeared from behind a ruined building, silently letting Midna lean on it as they walked.

(Jen POV)

Midna's rage was a sight Jennifer didn't want to see again. Well, that corrupted bokoblin was absolutely straight out of her worst nightmares, and the idea that there might actually be more of those out there was terrifying, but when Midna used that magic…

Jen had been terrified. She'd already surmised that the piece of the Helm of Shadows would hold power, and that any Twilian of royal blood could use it, but to see it done in person… she just hoped Midna was solidly on her side. And that voice hadn't even been truly her own. It had seemed… distorted…

But for now, both of them were really tired. It was only about mid afternoon, and in the few hours after Lady Liberty had fallen, Jen had had the longest day of her life. And that's how they had come to a stop on the pier in front of the Statue of Liberty.

The duo was silent, pensive, staring out at the expanse of purplish grey water and the iron grey statue in the distance. There was no life that she could see just watching the waves of dark water splash against the hulls of ruined boats and the twisting debris of some giant metal craft that had washed into the water. When Midna spoke, however, her voice was as cocky and irritating as it had been for what seemed like hours before.

"So, Creature, shouldn't we get moving already? Or is this some kind of ceremony for you. Am I interrupting your little ritual?" Jen felt like smothering her with a pillow, but she had none on hand. Jen lost her bag when she lost the battle to get to the statue earlier.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Jen huffed a sigh and turned to her. Midna grinned, displaying her snaggletooth.

"Hm. Well, if you're going to be so unresponsive, I think I can call you whatever I want! I suppose you need a name, though." She put her hand to her chin in mock concentration, speaking again after a minute. "I know! I'll call you Yarie! Sound okay, Creature?" Jen paused. Yarie… oh yeah! She remembered it as the name of some old queen from millennia ago. Yariemacha or something. It translated into modern English as "responsibility of all". Odd choice, but surprisingly tame. Jen wagged her tail in approval.

Midna cackled, and the former human felt tricked into something. "It'll be an easy name to remember, at least for me!" She cackled again, and Jen growled, "That was my pet's name!" The Aubrey rolled her eyes hard. Figures Midna would name her after a pet of hers. Jen ignored the imp and trotted along the stretch of beach in hopes of finding something seaworthy. Midna's chortles didn't get any closer, leading her to believe she was laughing too hard to notice her sudden absence.

About a hundred yards down the beach, Jen found a pier with a dingy that sat untouched on the water, and yipped in the general direction of Midna. Jen heard no response. She barked as loudly as she could, but there still was no answer. Jen took notice of the silence, especially as there was no laughing, talking, or anything She'd heard from Midna for the last few hours.

She looked around, hoping for a glimpse of anything that could drive her to silence. There was nothing on the beach she could see, and she became increasingly panicky. Could anything become invisible? Swim? Fly? She felt a cold breeze on her back.

The wind hadn't blown for hours.

Jen looked up too late, only in time to see the bright flash of magic and the victorious gleam in the eyes of the ice Wizzrobe floating above her.

"Dammit!" Midna thought as she watched the cloaked creature snatch Yarie like a prize, cackling as it flew into the portal behind them. Snarling and cursing, she reluctantly followed it into the swirling mass of magic, splitting into shards of darkness.

The place she came out of was not the same place where She'd made this portal, before it became corrupted by Zant. She came out in an open field shrouded in darkness on a patch strewn with wilted plants. The field looked patchy, like a blight had gone through it and killed most of the plant life there. On the outskirts of the sickened grassland, yellowing trees grew thickly in almost all directions.

She quickly spotted the Wizzrobe that had stolen her pet, as its ice-blue robes stood out starkly in the darkness of the Twilight. It was screeching with a band of Shadow Beasts that seemed to guard the path. Nearby, a band of Moblins on their boar mounts watched with interest, as if hoping some skirmish would occur.

Midna hid in the dull grass near a large, long-dead tree, hoping that the bland colors would disguise most of her appearance. She didn't think they would have noticed her regardless, she could hear their squealing increase to a fevered pitch and a swirling ball of magic appearing in the hand the Wizzrobe wasn't using to hold Yarie. The Moblins began to hoot in anticipation, beginning to draw their weapons.

Noticing he Moblins, though, the Wizzrobe began to ease its magic back to neutral, extending the girl out for the Shadow Beasts to take. One with a more ornately carved face than the others snatched it and cradled it to its chest as it used its remaining arm to turn down the path. The Wizzrobe followed them like an irritated fly, occasionally being swatted at by the much larger Shadow Beasts. The Moblins, looking disappointed, vanished over a ridge as they rode away.

She took the silence to dart after the strange party, following them to their destination. The path they took went over a bridge, past more field, and stopped at what looked like a giant golden diamond. Midna could feel the hum of unfamiliar magic from her hiding position a few meters away. Whoever it belonged to must have been powerful, but judging by the horrible sense of wrongness she felt, pretty messed up.

The group stalked up to a nondescript tree, slamming on it in a rhythm. A large chunk of the wall fell away, revealing an opening large enough to accommodate a Shadow Beast. The leader and a follower went through the opening, followed closely by the Wizzrobe. The rest of the squadron remained at the opening like a pack of guard dogs, growling and shifting in place. This was the only window in, but she had no way in.

As if on cue, a group of Moblins came careening down the hillside, drawing the attention of the watchful Shadow Beasts. She had thought they weren't stupid enough to attack a group like this… Oh, well. Don't see a gift and demand one better. The imp stole after the trio of monsters fast as she could into the inky darkness beyond the entrance.

(Jen POV)

Jen was out for approximately two minutes. Why? Every time she fell unconscious, the Trio decided to wake her up again. Right now, though, only Teacher was present.

"Jen, we've gone over this, you can't stay here and argue!" she shouted, clearly riled up.

"Why not? Clearly it's the only way for me to go over this effectively with you guys!" Jen yelled back, trying to make them see why she was furious.

"Jen, stop acting so irrational!" the goddess acolyte yelled back.

"Oh, look here, I'm acting irrational! Hell yeah, I'm acting irrational! Why? Well, first you send me on a quest after spilling my guts to you then you don't even give me a god-dammed weapon! How am I even supposed to do this without a weapon?! And why did I even spill my guts to you of all people? Did you manipulate me again? Don't lie this time!" She was absolutely enraged right now. Her hesitation to answer was all she needed for her questions.

"See? I can't even trust you, the immortal goddesses of whatever, whenever, and who-gives-a-shit! Why can't you give me one reason to do this quest, really? No weapon, no allies, and no plan! It was a suicide mission from the start! And why don't you just appear all mystic and shit and slap Zant in the face and tell him to just stop, huh? Why not do that every time some huge epidemic appears and wipes out millions, huh?" Jen paused in her rant to let the spirit have a chance to defend herself, but she looked like she was either out of excuses or thinking up a solid argument. She chose the latter.

"Because we can't." she said, irritatingly calmly.

"Well why the diddly-damn not? I'm out here, risking my neck with 'blin and human distrust, and you can't be bothered to send a freaking otherworldly sign telling them to bugger off? Or at least to give me my weapon when I need it!" She felt angry tears prick at her eyes, fueling her rage only further, "Why not? Why can't you be bothered to do something about your princess, who's trapped in a tower like some storybook maiden as her people suffer? Why can't Din just appear and bitch-slap Ganon until he gives back her piece of the triforce? Why can't Farore appear and save her hero, who's currently starving in a prison cell in the basement I'm being taken to? Why can't Nayru do anything about the mortal realm? Why can't you do something to stop the destruction of what they created?"

The blue spirit looked like she was about to cry, and Jen was torn between apologizing and stopping her tears or continuing this argument until, for once, she's the one crying and spilling her secrets for the world to know.

"Because if they did, everything they ever created would fall that much faster. I can't interrupt the cycle that Demise placed on my Goddess's princess nor on Farore's hero. I can't actually do anything but let her hero rescue the princess from Din's villain. Because that's how the cycle works. And anything different disrupts the magic of the world and kills it all," Nayru's acolyte said through tears and hiccups. Teacher's nonsensical response threw her off guard.

"What?" was all Jen could manage, "What?"

"The cycle that keeps Hyrule, Lorule, and the Twilight realm separate also keeps us from interfering with the worlds we created. Hyrule is strangely small for a country, yes? Hyrule is a fractured planet, with many facets of its existence. Commerce is through magic, food is made through magic, and if any of my sisters or myself appeared, the magic would bend and warp, responding to Demise's curse, sending each part of the planet colliding with each other. So many would die, and it would be all our fault."

"What." Jen still wasn't convinced, nor quite sure of what the acolyte of the Goddess of Wisdom was saying.

"Jen, if I try to do anything directly, the conflicting magic of the three worlds would collide and collapse the world."

"What."

"Jen, that's why you have to do this yourself, without our help."

"But you just helped me with that rune on the bag…"

"Goodbye, Jen, it's time for you to wake up."

"WAIT NO AREN'T YOU THE RATIONAL ONE WHAT IS GOING ON I STILL DON'T-"

Jennifer woke up gently, with the pervading thought of Don't move don't shift stay asleep. But while her body was completely limp, her mind was racing at a million miles an hour.

"Was she drunk? Is it possible for a Goddess acolyte to get drunk? Was she tired? That sounded like a 3 am ramble. Was she just trying to get me off her case? Was that the truth? Why would that be the truth? Why wouldn't that be the truth? She didn't answer any of my questions, what the hell was that? I know Hyrule is tiny, but is that the real reason behind it? I'm sure that there's more to Hyrule than I'll see on my mission, but how much more? I know magic is a huge part of the ecosystem there, but to what extent? And where am I fucking going? Oh, god, what's that smell?"

She felt a severe coldness radiating from the being she was being held by, but judging by the lurching gait, it wasn't the Wizzrobe. With a start, she realized that the smell was either rotting meat or an open sore. She breathed as shallowly as she could, focusing on where she was going rather than her location now. But she wasn't the best at judging speed or direction, even without her eyes closed, and she cracked them open as gently as she could.

Jen was in an open field corrupted by Twilight and saturated with both Light and Dark magic, judging by the grey aura. Instinct told her that she wasn't on earth anymore. So she had to be in Hyrule Field.

The monster holding her suddenly rolled her over in its arm, letting her see where they were going. Jennifer had to stifle a gasp as she saw the powerful diamond-shaped barrier and the almost invisible silhouette of the castle inside. Fortunately, it was the place she was planning to be when she got here, but she didn't plan on the barrier. The magic also looked familiar, but she couldn't tell from where she knew it.

The monster holding her paused after a few minutes, turning to an ordinary tree and hitting it with all its might in a repetitive rhythm. Each shaking thud forced her to remain still, even as her heart fluttered with shock at the creature's strength. Even worse was that she could now tell what monster was holding her, and her chances at escape looked thinner and thinner.

When the monster stopped hitting the tree, a large portion of the barrier fell away like a curtain. The inky blackness beyond held little promise, but she let herself be carried through the barrier limply.


	12. Escape from the Dungeons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Link.  
> Some trigger warnings, 12 year old me was angsty AF

The inside of the barrier looked just like outside of it, but darker. That was probably because the procession was moving through the castle, which had no light sources inside of it. They passed murals and broken statues, walking to a heavily guarded door. The monster went through it, going deeper and darker still as it went down flight after ominous flight of stairs. Finally, finally, they came to a stop in front of an iron door.

The Wizzrobe (he's still here?) took a keychain hanging on a hook and inserted several of the keys into the door locks, letting the door swing open limply. A wave of a strong odor washed over her, and she had to fight the urge to gag. It was like the Shadow Beast's stench, but with feces and rot added in and then fermented into a noxious gas. Even the Wizzrobe didn't seem immune to the effects, and it paused behind her escort before slipping in behind them.

Inside was a line of cells, most of them open and vacant. One, however, close to the back, had a starved-looking wolf that didn't even open its eyes when it heard them coming through. Jen was roughly thrown into the cage next to it, and the Wizzrobe attached a rune-covered chain to her neck, hissing a chant to fit it better. The Shadow Beast grabbed a rat from a nearby shelf and threw it into the wolf's cell. The starved creature snatched it up and began to consume it ravenously.

Ew.

The Wizzrobe, now done with the runes (honestly, though, she could counter all of them with her sharpie by writing "expand" based on what she could see. The chain's runes didn't have anything to counter magic. Shame she couldn't find her bag), rose back into the air and sailed out of the cell block. The Shadow Beast followed closely behind, closing and locking the door behind it, but not before throwing another rat in front of her. Its dead eyes were filmy in death and its rigor mortis-locked limbs lay still.

Double ew.

Jen decided that while she could do with some food, she'd be better off letting the wolf next to her eat it. It had finished its rat and was now lying on the ground with its eyes closed. If it weren't for the occasional twitch of its ears and the rise and fall of its chest, it might have been dead.

To try to get its attention, she walked up to the cell wall separating them, knocking at the bars and jangling the chain around her wrist.

"Hey, wake up!" she screamed in her mind as she fruitlessly tried to get his attention. Jen stopped, nudging at the bars of his side of the prison. She yelped in pain without meaning to as she stepped on a splinter. Not even that made him open his eyes. She growled under her breath and tried something new.

"HEY! WOLF! GET UP!" she howled with all her might, putting as much intelligence behind her request as she could. Her heart leapt as he opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Awake! Finally! Listen, Wolf, I'm here to find Link the Hero. Ever heard of him? Is he nearby?" she barked, "I'm gonna get all of us out of here and fix the timeline."

The wolf flicked his ears and blinked as though startled. He started to practice making noises, his voice dry and cracked, but eventually she could make out, "M-me. I… am… Link."

Jen winced. This guy must have been only a little older than her, and he was in bad shape. It would take a lot to get him back into prime questing condition.

"Okay, okay, I can do this. I'm sure Midna will be here soon. In the meantime, can you walk?" Jen was really worried she'd have to carry him. Starved or no, this wolf was absolutely massive. Jen was certain that if it stood on its back legs, she would be shorter than it.

A small part of the worry in her chest was lifted when he stood up, shook dust off of himself weakly, and trotted over to her as far as the chain would allow. Still, he was swaying on his feet and his legs were shaking from misuse even with that slight exertion. But even with his thinness and ribs poking out, she had to look up at him, as he was three times her size.

"G-good?" he asked, voice still crackly. If she had the ability, she would have furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. He needed water, food, and time that they didn't have.

"Y-yeah, its good. But still, you're starved, dying of thirst, and weak," Jen stated to him, picking up her meal with her nails, "You need this more than me, and I'm not quite ready to eat this yet." She tossed it as best as she could through the bars of his prison. She regretted it immediately, as the feeling would probably haunt her nightmares forever, but she tried not to show it. With an inquisitive glance towards her, he began to eat her offering with more grace than he'd eaten his own. When he finished, he looked back at her.

"Anything else? What next?" he asked, voice starting to come back. Jen gave a shrug and began to pace.

"I don't have anything else planned until the guards either chose to make an appearance or if Midna decides to arrive down here," she said sulkily, but as she thought of her, she thought of the questions she'd asked her while they were in New York, How did you become invisible like that?

"Well, actually, we could practice any skills we have while waiting. Got anything special other than height?" Jen teased. He tilted his head in confusion.

"Y'know, like the skills to fly or breathe fire," she offered more awkwardly, but he still looked confused.

"Never mind."

Jennifer sat quietly in her cell for a while, wondering where the heck Midna could have vanished to. For a brief second, she played with the idea that she could have lost her entirely, and wasn't even in the vicinity. Jen closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing, putting a forceful lid on the thought. She tried to instead focus on her breathing and her surroundings. Better to complain than to worry. Jen began to try to utilize all non-casting magic she could, searching for anything that could work in this hatefully bleak magical deadness.

As she continued to relax, she finally began to use a trick called Aura Perception to locate those near her. The girl fancied that she could see in her mind's eye a faint outline of the thin wolf next to her, shining a stunning forest green. And there, the shadow beast guard, surrounded by a black aura but glowing a beautiful twilight blue. She extended her view to outside the cell block's borders. There. Past little scurrying corrupted rats and monsters glowing horrible shades of pallid gold or blood red tempered with black auras, was a bright shining girl with a marvelous blue like the ocean. And next to her… A small form with large ears glowing a royal silver with a black object on its head. There she is.

Jen opened her eyes, feeling like she'd woken up from a dream. Maybe she had. Jen couldn't quite tell. She hoped it wasn't sleep. It had been to much like Aura Perception. She felt sluggish yet alert, and something else like stress or an upset stomach. Jen stole a glance at Link, noticing the way his ears swiveled with more energy than before, trying to figure out from where a rescuer would be coming from. Other than that, he could have been a corpse, all bone and fur, and nothing like what she'd seen in her imagination.

It wasn't imagination. Maybe you have power you don't even think you have.

Hello, random invasive thought! Haven't heard you in a few hours! Where did you come from and where did you go?

Shaking herself alert, she began to circle around the cell, restrained by the chain. Jen took in every detail she could, recalling the schematic of the castle she'd committed to memory on Nayru's request.

Seems like those Three command a lot of your loyalty. What have they given you in return?

Shoo. Anyway, Jen paused as she thought about in which wing of the castle she was. Based on the way the (feeble) sunlight was coming in, they had to be facing the east. Or maybe the west…? Either way, she was close to the Princess's personal tower, where she'd seen Midna's aura. So… west wing dungeon…?

You're certain she's there? It could have just been imagination…

Shut up, you're being distracting. She looked again to Link, debating whether or not to tell him she was close. If she told him, he would be more prepared for the trip out, filled with hope and trust. If she couldn't find her, then his faith in her would be gone, and the world was doomed. Jen huffed a groan, but hastily covered it with a yawn when Link looked in her direction. He probably shouldn't see her discomfort, anyway.

The canines waited for what felt like an eternity until Link broke the silence.

"So, where did you come from?" he asked, leveling her with a curious gaze. She looked at him as she deliberated her answer.

"Do you want to know about my home life, or about the planet I'm from?" she replied coolly, figuring that now was as good a time as ever to drop the bomb. He started, looking at Jen in surprise and concern.

"I was going to ask about your family, but I'm pretty sure you hit your head somewhere. Did you mean to say planet?" He was standing now, trotting closer to her to pick up on her answer more. Jen nodded.

"Yeah, I meant to say planet. What, you thought you were alone? Nah. There's multiple layers of reality on your planet, and there's multiple dimensions across the multiverse that we can't even dream of. Sooner or later, they're bound to collide once or twice, yeah?"

"… I didn't even understand half of what you said, but could you please elaborate?" he replied, everything about him ready to listen.

"'Course. Where I'm from, the dominant species is a lot like Hylians, and we call ourselves humans too, but we don't use magic and have smaller ears. To compensate, we've become so technologically advanced we can annihilate ourselves with only one weapon, and we continually destroy our natural habitat to pursue greater feats. We come in as many shades of color as you guys and believe in different things, making us a very divided species. It's not a fun place to live in, but it has its moments. Music and other artsy things are still important, but really, we're a bit of a mess," she replied pessimistically. Link didn't look reassured about her or her planet.

"Family is a bit more complicated, really. You don't really want to learn about that. There's a lot of bad feelings in the mix with that subject," Link still didn't look too happy with her description, but it was the best she was willing to give him. There was an awkward silence for a few moments, until a thought occurred to her.

"Hey, Link? How long has it been since you got here?" she asked. He looked away thoughtfully, but in the end, shook his head.

"I don't know," he replied dully. Jen sighed, and changed the subject back to something more confusing.

"Link, I know I sound crazy to you…" she said slowly. He didn't reply, but the sidelong glance he gave her was enough to confirm her suspicions. The girl continued, "…but you've turned into a wolf, met up with the Shadow Beasts, and have stayed here for weeks on end. So if I'm crazy, what does that make you?" she finished. Link didn't reply, but he rolled over onto his side, his back facing her. Wow. Rude. There was a thoughtful silence between them, but she didn't have the time for silences. Jen took a second to think, finally asking, "So, Link, you asked me about my personal life, but what about yours?"

"Doesn't matter," he muttered.

"Yes, it does," she pressed, "Besides, I shared stuff about me, now it's your turn." His reply was curt and flat,

"No, you didn't. You just dodged the question. Besides, I owe you nothing." Jen bit back an irritated retort, her elongated ears flattening in anger.

"Link, being this bull-headed will only hurt us both in the long run. It won't matter what you think of me in the meantime, but for the love of Din, you need to listen to me right now. You want to know the whole story? The whole story is long and complicated, even more so than what's going on now. The basics are that my companion was supposed to break you out of here a long time ago, but because she couldn't, the world has begun to collapse. You can't tell right now, but the timeline isn't supposed to end like this.

"If you don't help me help you kick out the evil that plagues your world soon, its going to get worse. Like, universal apocalypse level bad. The darkness has already spread to my realm, too, so in return for my help, I'm going to need to ask you a favor. You do exactly as I tell you and I'll get us both out of here and I'll accompany you on your Quest, but in return you have to help me free my home. We don't even have to talk, if that's what you want. But if you don't drop that attitude right now, I'll just leave you here and do everything myself. Do we have a deal?" she hissed, eyes narrowed and teeth bared. He rolled over and stood up to his full height, looking at her hard. Jen didn't back down, and he looked away.

"Fine," he finally muttered, "But I call the shots when we get out."

"But do you promise to listen to me until we get out?" she confirmed.

"Yeah, sure," he replied noncommittally. He lay back down more attentively, "So when do we leave?"

(~~~~~)

"I found you!" a familiar voice suddenly said from just in front of the cage. Jen spun around to find the source of the sound. She spotted Midna just in time to see her dramatically front-flip through the bars, landing delicately in front of her.

"Well, sorry that took so long, I got a little hung up in one of the towers, you see." Midna continued. She began to look around, as if noticing the dungeon for the first time. She stopped, grinning, and Jen followed her gaze to Link, who was snarling and glaring at her. Midna lazily walked over to just in front of the bars separating them.

"Ooh, aren't you scary?" She giggled again, "Are you sure you want to be doing that? Snarling and glaring at me?" Midna crossed her arms, leaning forward to examine him. Jen could just barely catch her frown and mutter, "You're a little on the thin side, though…" She covered it with a broad, toothy grin and said, "Well that's too bad. I was planning on helping you… if you were nice."

Jen sighed tiredly.

"Link, this is Midna, she's who I was waiting for. And yes, before you ask, she's always this irritating, but you can trust her," she said calmly but flatly. Link stopped snarling and straightened, still glaring at her. After glancing from her to Link, Midna giggled again.

"Eee hee! That's much better! It seems Yarie has you all house-trained for me! You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you?" Midna cackled again, and Jen rolled her eyes as she was reintroduced to her unwanted nickname. Link looked like he would have happily strangled someone, if he still had thumbs. Jen knew he was thinking about the ways to shut the obnoxious ex-princess up.

"Oops! But you aren't human anymore, are you? You're a beast! And so is Yarie, I suppose, in her own special way. Eee hee!" While Jennifer managed to shake it off with only an involuntary facial twitch, Midna's taunting triggered a spark in Link Jen hadn't seen before, and he suddenly snarled and jumped at her. Midna didn't even flinch.

"There, there, you two. Be a good dog and calm down. No need to bite!" She suddenly put her hands together in a familiar way, activating her magic. Link backed away, whining, but Jen stood still. Midna focused the destructive force of her concentrated mana into a small ball of disorganized energy, letting it fly free with a flick from her arms. It snapped the chain connecting her leg to the floor smoothly, and Jen walked around her cell gratefully, stretching tired muscles.

"Eee hee! At least someone appreciates her work around here. Now hold still, and don't worry. I don't miss." She put her hands together again more slowly, but Link still flinched when the chain beside him broke, dancing away from the snapped link with his ears flat. He paused in the corner of his cell, examining the clean cut. Midna danced out of her cell and into his smoothly, getting right in his thin face.

"Ahaha! You look kind of surprised!" she said with another condescending giggle. Link flinched away from her, but Midna didn't seem to notice, "So! I bet you're wondering, where exactly are we?" She didn't answer her question, as she was already jumping out of the cell in a flurry of sparks and reassembling herself on the other side of the door.

"Well, I'll make you a deal. If you can get over here, maybe I'll tell you!" she finished with another laugh, beckoning the animals forward. Midna gave a dramatic yawn and a stretch, lifting herself into the air and letting her hair (Jen had to look twice to confirm she wasn't hallucinating) continue to beckon them forwards in a "come here" gesture. Link began to look around his cage as Jen checked the spaces between the bars and her hip width. There was a place where the bars were slightly out of line, and she took advantage of it, sliding cleanly out of the cage. Midna grinned at the humanoid, turning to Link, who still seemed lost.

"Well, I suppose I should give you a hint as to how to escape, if you're that incompetent. I guess these sorts of prisons have a few holes in them you could take advantage of! Eee hee!" she said as Jen paced in front of Link's cage, helping him look for some sort of escape. She had especially taken notice of the suspiciously frail-looking and moldy boxes in the corner, and she slipped into Link's prison to examine them.

"Link, these boxes look pretty breakable. Can you try to smash them?" she asked the weakened hero, clawing gently at one and watching shards come off under her claws. Link looked at them and nodded, trotting to the other side of the room shakily and moving slightly faster at the boxes. One of them shattered, but the others only creaked. He moved back for another burst of speed, and Jen hastily cleared away the wood fragments. He broke another box, this time revealing a hole under the bars.

He looked at her, panting happily and wagging his tail slowly. Jen gave him a thumbs up. She slid out of the bars to meet him on the other side of the cage as he emerged from the ground.

"Good job!" Jen praised, but noticed something was missing after a second, "Where did Midna go?"

Jennifer's question was rudely answered when Midna reappeared, landing hard on Link's back. He barely could stand her weight and immediately sat down, sending her tumbling down his back with a startled shout. Jen laughed (if the grumbling bark she made instead could be counted as such) as the imp picked herself back up hastily, trying to salvage her dignity.

"Well, I guess you're not completely stupid after all," she said when she was back in the air, fixing her headdress, as it had slipped. Jen stood next to Link, staring her down together as the Twilian grinned at them.

"Listen, I like you, wolf, so I think I'll help you get out of here. Having you on the team might just give us the edge we need." She vanished again, reappearing behind them. She grabbed Jen's ear as well as Link's and pulled it sharply, "But in exchange for my help, you have to do EXACTLY as I say!" Link looked surprised, but Jen didn't believe that was intentional. She snarled angrily, but Link stoically didn't reply, simply narrowing his eyes.

"If you need anything from me, just give me a sign." Midna let go of their ears and hit Jen on the shoulder, "So are we clear?" Jen snarled again in reply.

"Good! Now, come on! Get moving!"

The three first checked the doors on both sides of the room, careful not to make any noise near them in case a guard was nearby. Both were closed, forcing them to find an alternate way out. As Link examined the walls and she looked at their cells, Midna lounged on a bench on the opposite wall, giggling at the two animals. Finally, as Link opened a spare cell near the far door, he barked for her to come to him.

There was a random hanging ring near a grate. Midna, noticing the commotion, came to investigate.

"Finally, you two are so slow! It's obvious, isn't it? Just pull the ring and get out of here! C'mon!"

Link jumped up to grab the ring in his mouth, but couldn't pull it down. Jen glared at Midna, who had started laughing, and grabbed Link's torso, yanking him to the floor. The gate sprang open, and they jogged through the tunnel it opened to. It was long, and they followed it as it turned to the left, finally arriving in an open system of passages filled with dirty water. Just in front of them was a small glowing light that she immediately recognized from one of Nayru's lessons.

"Link… that's…" she whined, unable to describe the wisp to Link. Midna looked less disturbed, but her voice was hesitant.

"Oh… well, well…" she murmured before breaking out into a loud giggle, "Eee hee hee! Want to see something interesting? You're both beasts! You should know what to do! Just use your senses and poke around…" She moved aside (she had been leading them), gesturing for Link and she to take a look. It was a small orb of light, barely the size of a basketball, but she knew it held the entire essence of an unfortunate Hylian. When exposed to Dark Magic, this was a defense mechanism for most magic-wielding creatures against the effects of Corruption.

Jen watched Link stare at the wisp quizzically, before looking to her for help.

"Link, I've been a... creature… for about a day, please don't try to get me to help, I have no idea what Midna is talking about with 'poking around'." she replied flatly, still focusing on the wisp. Jen only looked back to Link when she saw him jump. He was still looking at the wisp, but in the reflection of his eyes, she jumped as well when she noticed the pale outline of a humanoid figure. His ears were twitching, too, as if listening to some unheard conversation.

It took her a second longer than he did, but she finally managed a similar effect. If she focused on the magical signature of the wisp rather than its physical one, she could just barely hear and see a Hylian guard. Jen lost the outline pretty quickly, though, and resolved to practice more if she found another lost human.

Midna made no comment as they two trotted away from the wisp, her face hardening into a blandly grinning mask. When they were a few yards away, she broke the silence.

"That was a soldier's spirit." She stated it flatly, as a fact, but giggled, "Maybe it's someone from the other world? Eee hee! There are lots of other spirits roaming about here, you know. Try to hone your senses to see them. They might know things…"

Of course they know things, Jen thought to herself bitterly, reflecting on what the trio told her about Zant conquering the entire Hylian Realm. They walked along the side of the canal for a few more seconds, until they came across an open gate on the other side of the canal. Link barely got across, and she almost landed in the canal. They both chuckled a little at each other before they walked through the gate. Once there, however, Midna began to talk again.

"I doubt that you two are quite used to your new bodies yet, even though you've been a wolf for a while but Yarie has fought a bit, so I'll just tell you, wolf… Think about how you fought your enemies in your human form. Just because your shape has changed doesn't mean your instincts haven't as well!"

With that bit of knowledge, she lifted herself further into the air and gestured to another hanging ring. Together, Link and Jen opened up a vent to their right, but before they went to investigate, they heard an ominous squeaking.

"Link, stay back. I'll get this," she told him as she jumped into the side-tunnel. Jen crept forward, quietly regretting this as her back protested. At the end of the tunnel was an old skeleton, its bones yellow with age. The corpse glowed slightly in the Shadow-tainted air, and she could see small black shapes skittering around it.

Squeak, squeak

She growled, flattening herself into a fighting stance in preparation for the fight.

Squeak, squeak

She crept forward…

Squeak, squeak

She launched herself at the skull, shattering it under her foot and sending the shadow creatures scattering. At least three of them launched themselves at her, and she slashed at them as they flew at her. One of them managed to scratch a long, thin line into her side before she crushed its head and flung it aside. Jen ignored the wound, instead focusing on the other monsters that had fled the tunnel and seemed to be attacking Link. He was holding out pretty well, though he seemed to be struggling.

She jumped at one that was about to sink its teeth into Link, ripping it off of his coat and throwing it into the canal, where it burst into sparks. The other four continued to battle Link, but mimicking her bite-and-scratch fighting style, or perhaps utilizing his own, he squashed a particularly small one and sank his teeth into another, throwing it into the air as it squeaked frantically. The last two met their end as Link spun, his tail slamming one into the opposite wall while the other got caught in his jaws and shaken like a toy.

Midna grinned at the two when the beasts looked back at her, but didn't speak. She turned around and crossed the canal, turning a corner and disappearing from sight. The two followed, jumping into the low water and splashing to the other side quickly, passing what had to be the way out, though it was guarded by spikes. The walls were too large for Jen to jump, and Link let her climb onto his back and jump up, following her up the wall quickly.

Midna was floating just below a hanging ring, beckoning them forward. Link and Jen checked the nearby tunnel off-shoot for any monsters before Link jumped for the ring and she pulled him down. It occurred to her that he couldn't have been much more than ninety pounds. When the ring was down, the canal began to fill with more greyish water, until it overflowed its embankment and came up to Link's shins in height. Jen was thankful she was bipedal, as water lapped into her socks.

Link chuckled as she disgustedly raised a foot out of the water, shaking it off futilely. Angrily, she jumped up onto his back, tipping him into the canal, soaking them both. Midna sneered at them both as they climbed, soaked through, out of the water.

"Hey, Link. It would be a darn shame if someone got her wet," Jen hissed to him. He looked down at her with a sparkle in his eyes and a subtle wag of his tail.

"Hey, if you two are done acting like a bunch of dumb animals, the way out is over there!" she pointed to the water-covered spike floor for emphasis, "Let's go!"

As if on cue, Link shook out his coat, spraying Midna with noxious water. She squealed in surprise as she was covered in sewer water, rising higher into the air to avoid the spray. Jen laughed and so did Link, though he began to cough towards the end and his throat sounded dry.

Jen waved him over to the exit, and they both splashed back into the water. Jen noticed that Link swam determinedly with his head above the water in a doggie paddle, while she stuck to the more traditional human style of swimming. He still arrived first, shaking himself off and giving her room to get onto the platform, though she didn't bother trying to get dry.

Link had trotted ahead of her, examining the new section of the castle's sewer system. He had paused, though, at a corner, and she quickly noticed why. He was staring intently at another wisp, listening to its whimpers quietly. Jen focused on its signature and its previous form appeared more solidly than before. She even heard its message, What are these black things… where are they coming from… And how do we get out of here?!

A chill ran down her spine. The spirit was talking as if it had only recently been reduced to a shade, but it had been, what, a few weeks? Did spirits just say their last words over and over? The thought chilled her in a way that the water, which was colder in this new quadrant, couldn't.

Link and Jen shared a grim look, rounding the corner and stopping. There was a large iron gate in front of them. Midna noticed what her companions were staring at and crossed just in front of them, floating over to the gate and bursting into sparks, reforming on the other side. She turned around when she was on the other side and cried back to them, "This way! Over here!" while her hair beckoned them over to her. "I'll be waiting for you, but you'll have to help yourself for a change!"

She took a quick glance at the gate and surmised that a way around it would be behind them, so she turned around.

"Link, I'll be looking for the exit behind us. Bark if you need anything!" she shouted, sloshing through the water as she explored the system.

"Okay, I'll try to look around here for anything!" he yelled back, examining the bars, "You might actually be able to fit through here, though, you're so thin!"

Jen snorted as she examined a small off-shoot, though she jumped back when she saw a small swarm of shadow rats and she replied, "Yeah, but your big boned butt would be stuck here without me!" She heard a bark of laughter from behind her, but no reply.

Jen continued to look around for anything, noticing a ring right above her. She didn't pull it, as she could tell it would just release the shadow rats trapped to her left. Jen looked past the ring, though, and saw another gate for the water, as well as a ring right next to it (and a wisp, though she ignored it in favor of the ring).

"Hey, Link, I think I found something!" she barked, purposely knocking the skull of some unknown animal into the canal and watching it sink. Jen heard splashing from behind her, and she turned around, expecting to see Link, only to find a large shadow rat hissing and spitting at some unknown enemy. She quickly dispatched it, seeing more in front of her. Jen whined in fear, killing a few others as she sprinted as best she could closer to whatever was causing the attack.

Jen found Link battling off several others, fighting valiantly despite several scratches and bruises. There was an open sewage tunnel next to him, and reinforcements were pouring through the opening like blood from a wound.

"Link, help me pull the ring again!" she yelled as she slapped another rat into the canal wall. He leapt for the ring at the same time another rat bit at him, adding the weight necessary for the ring to be pulled. The gate fell on the rats, cutting a few in half and stemming the black tide. They quickly killed the rest of the rats, panting hard and bleeding from multiple wounds.

"Link, are you okay?" she asked, looking at the multiple slashes and bite marks that dotted his frail frame. He didn't respond verbally, but instead nodded his head heavily.

"Link, I found a way to make the water level in here drop, but I need your help. Can you get across the water?" Again, another determined nod.

"Okay, follow me."

He had taken a right where she'd gone straight ahead, but they both had to cross the water. His wounds colored the water darker, worrying her. Jen was even able to keep up with him as they crossed the canal. The two were able to open the canal gate, and the water level receded. They didn't bother to listen to the other wisp, but crossed the way to Midna.

"Finally, I thought you…" she broke off when she saw the blood spilling from Link. Her face hardened, "The tunnel is just below you."

They jumped down from the canal walkways lightly, examining the small tunnel.

"Are you claustrophobic?" she asked Link as she took note of the height. He shook his head and, with a little bit of effort, began to crawl through the tunnel, with her walking right behind him. The tunnel wasn't long, thankfully, and it opened up into a dirt floored and damp, with a wisp inside it. They didn't hear its fearful message, passing it quickly. The hairpin bend of the tunnel revealed Midna at the other side, beckoning them to her. They walked over to her tiredly, dodging her attempt to land on Link's back. She giggled again.

"Aww, did the detour tire you out, little ones?" She paused, as if a thought had just occurred to her, "By the way, are you practicing with your senses like I told you to? Seems like all the spirits in here… are soldiers. Where in the world could we be? Eee hee!" Jen grunted in irritation, already walking away. She heard Midna continue to talk to Link as she left.

"You want out of here, right? Ok! Then we're off!"

She had stopped, partially to wait for Link and partially because she was staring in dismay at the number of stairs.

"Well," she breathed, "This should be fun."

Link had doggedly stayed on his feet, but he was swaying from side to side. The wounds inflicted by the rats hadn't closed yet, and the scratch on her side was only beginning to stop bleeding, even though it had been almost ten minutes.

"Actually, let's take a break. I'm really tired, so let's just catch our breath before we do anything." Jen really wasn't tired, but she did know some healing spells that would transfer energy from her to him that would really tire her out. Unfortunately, Link shook his head and began to climb the stairs, legs quivering with every strained muscle. He collapsed on the fifth stair, and she immediately rushed to his side.

"Link? LINK? Link, answer me!" she shouted, nosing him in the side, "Jesus Christ, you are such a heroic idiot." Jen immediately began thinking back to healing spells that could be cast nonverbally and without runes or potions.

Pigi-aja huan wrahui Loic! she thought, focusing on the spell as hard as she could as she channeled magic into her heart, preparing to convert it into healing energies. Hen leapt to her feet, paws and eyes glowing with pink energy, pressing the light into his cut up chest, watching the worst wounds heal and his breathing become steady. Jen took a deep and calming breath as she saw the result of her healing, sitting down as dizziness crept into her vision.


	13. Twilight Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life Sucks Because Of Some Extrademensional Dick But Hey You've Got Allies by Fall Out Boy

Jen felt cold and uncomfortable, and everything was too dang loud. The squeaking of a shadow rat trapped in the pool left over from their flooding the sewers at the foot of the stairs, the wailing of the wind as it whistled through the tower, and even the breathing of the healed wolf all echoed in the tower. She felt drained and barely holding on to consciousness. Darkness still crept around the edges of her vision, and it was a struggle to keep her eyes open. It had been about ten minutes, and she could feel Link beginning to wake up.

"Yarie?" Link croaked.

"M'not Yarie, Link. And don't waste your energy, idiot," she muttered, struggling to remain conscious.

"What happened?" he asked, shifting his head.

"You didn't sit down and rest while you were bleeding out and starved," she replied dully, "You almost killed yourself."

"Oh." He gently stretched, cracking a few joints. "And why are you curled up against me?"

Jen woke up really quickly, scrabbling to her feet. The warm and fuzzy feeling left her as she realized she had sat right next to Link's body in her delirium.

"Oh shoot, sorry! Jeez I'm so sorry!" she hissed, switching to English in her panic. Link tried to stand up again, but she pushed him back down quickly.

"No, you still need rest," she grumbled, looking around the circular tower. It was just about the same, the dust-filled chamber echoing nothing but the wind, except the shadow rat in the pool was gone and Midna was missing.

Wait.

"Link, Midna's gone!" she said, still looking around.

"What?" he replied with a start, pushing himself to his feet. Jen didn't try to stop him this time. She was too worried about where their guide had gone.

"I can't find her, she's gone!" she said rapidly, checking even the sewers behind them for a clue as to her whereabouts.

Oh god I lost her what will They say the world is literally ending I don't know what to do there is no instruction manual no one I can ask no one to help I'm not in control of the problem… The thoughts rushed into her head unchecked.

Jen was on the verge of a mental breakdown when Link calmly began ascending the stairs.

"Where are you going?!" she shrieked quietly, trying not to draw the attention of absent monsters.

"The only way your friend might have gone. This was where she wanted us to go, correct? So, this will be where she is," he replied calmly, is a little shakily, as he slowly climbed the staircase, stair by tortuous stair.

His confidence calmed her, and she followed him without a second thought. While following him up the steps, she took a moment to examine her work. Even though she had nearly passed out, she was pleased to note that he had no visible cuts or bruises. Additionally, Link's mobility seemed to have improved, and if she wasn't mistaken, he seemed that he had more weight than earlier.

Maybe I accidentally went too far with that healing spell… Jen thought to herself with embarrassment and pride. They suddenly stopped when the stairs were replaced by a large gap, one that was too big for both of them to jump across. Though, lucky them, there was a precariously thin rope connecting one side of the stairs to the other. Link examined it calmly, though she began to pace nervously back and forth at the idea of walking across this. Jen made the mistake of looking over the edge of the stairs at the frothing rat-infested water at the bottom.

"Nope, not doing this, forget this, heck no," Jen chanted under her breath as she began to walk back down the stairs on shaking legs. she was almost to the third stair down when she was suddenly stopped.

"Link, let go of me!" Jen shrieked, getting louder when he didn't let go. Link's teeth were solidly dug into her pants leg.

"No, you need to come with me," he said as he positioned himself between the rope and the stairs, making sure she wouldn't escape. Jen looked determinedly away from Link or the rope. When she didn't reply after a few seconds, Link rolled his eyes.

"Wow. This is mature. Are you going or what?" She didn't reply again, still focusing on the wall. Jen was startled when he lay down next to her.

"Jen, you need to get across the rope bridge." His voice held a note of finality that she couldn't refuse, and she uncertainly stepped onto the rope. Terror struck her again as she tried to ignore the shrieking of the shadow rat and the swaying of the rope.

"You're doing great, just look at the wall!" Link called behind her. Jen immediately lost her balance. She heard Link shout something behind her as she barely managed to grab the rope with her arm.

"Alright, change of plans, swing!" he yelled. Jen struggled to get her breathing under control and slowly put one hand in front of the other. After an eternity, the uncertain movement stopped, and the she was gripping solid ground, pulling herself up. Link calmly walked across the rope like it was no big deal.

"I'm so glad that's over," Jen whispered, partially to herself.

"Look up," came his simple reply. There were only a few more ropes visible, but the stairs were still broken.

Jesus H. Christ on a bicycle, she thought unhappily.

In the end, she found that she wasn't able to jump over the larger gaps. So, to save the hassle of the tortuous rope-climbing, they quickly devised a strategy where Jen would jump across the crumbled section of the stairs, grab the other end, and he would focus on her for the jump. This came in handy when the animals encountered a strange ramp-looking structure on the stairs.

"WHO?" Jen yelled as she climbed unsteadily up to the top of the ramp, "WHO DOES THIS?"

As she sailed through the air to land on the ramp, Jen quickly noticed the second jump. Link landed next to her smoothly, and was about to go on when she stopped him. She launched herself to the next platform with more ease.

Link landed next to her with a little difficulty, but continued onwards. She led the way, scanning for any obstacles. There were a few shadow rats on the stairs, but she calmly kicked them into the water below when they approached. Jen kicked their skulls away as well.

Not five seconds later, she noticed the rope.

Frick, she hissed to herself.

Other than that, the climb was uneventful. There were two more jumps, one where Link accidentally scraped the wall, but they arrived at the top without any major injuries. At the top, however, was a large door that glowed faintly yellow in the dim light, with piled boxes that reeked of rot around it. Jen tried the handle, finding it to be locked, and probably too heavy to be forced open. Above the doorway, however, was a window hanging ajar.

"Link, check if we can climb anything. I think we need to get up there," she said to her companion, who nodded and began to look around the door for any cracks. Jen broke one of the boxes, hoping for a clue.

Bad news: there wasn't anything useful in the boxes she checked.

Worse news: she found a keese nest and the shadow-infected parents were pissed.

"Link!" she shouted as a thick swarm of the bat-like monsters descended on their heads. She spotted him jumping around, trying to bite the creatures as they attacked him. In that moment, she noticed the easily-jumpable wreckage of what used to be an ornate statue, and ran over to Link.

"We can jump up that ruin and get out of here, so hurry!" she yelled over the sound of the keese's beating wings. They hurried back over to the wreck, and Link helped her up to the first platform, following her quickly. The keese began to follow them as the duo repeated the process, and were hard on their collective metaphorical and literal tails as they passed through the door and slammed it shut. The few fast keese who had caught up to them were quickly taken care of, bursting into shadow magic as soon as their bodies hit the floor.

Panting, the two took a good look at their new surroundings. Link and Jen were on the castle roof, old scaffolding and boxes scattered around the area. The air was thick with shadow shards wafting up to the air, and the sunlight came in as a pallid shade of yellow. It was raining, but the rain was lukewarm, and smelled faintly of corrupted magic. Jen wrinkled her nose at the odor. In addition to the weather, several swarms of unidentified flying beasts hovered in the air, occasionally shrieking at each other and fighting. On the other end of a roof, however, was what she recognized as the Eastern Tower, where the Princess's room was located. Jen knew that was were they had to go. She took a look at Link.

Link seemed like he was going to be sick for a second, but his expression melted to reflect a grim determination that she didn't like. He trotted onwards, ahead of her, moving smoothly over the broken stones of the path.

"Link, wait," she called. He didn't stop, and kept his eyes trained firmly on the way ahead of him. Jen kept calling for him to stop, to wait, but he kept moving. A few steps later, they encountered a wisp.

She was too far away to hear its message, but from the way Link stiffened, she knew it couldn't have been a good one. With a start, she realized she'd never told Link where they were. Jen ran over quickly to hear what the spirit said. She couldn't catch the beginning, but she definitely heard the words "Hyrule Castle".

"Link?" she asked tentatively, unsure of how Link would react, "Link, talk to me."

"Did you know?" he whispered.

"What?" she asked, uncertain of the question.

"Did you know this was the castle?" he repeated quietly, still staring at the soldier's spirit.

"… yes," she admitted, "But I-"

"And you didn't tell me?" he hissed. Jen flinched, unfamiliar with his anger. Irritation bubbled up in her chest, and she straightened her posture, standing up straighter. She flashed her teeth.

"Look, I forgot to tell you, okay? There was so much else going on that it slipped my mind. Let's just get out of the rain."

Jen noticed that the way out was too high for her to jump, but there was a box she could push. She turned around to ask Link to do it, but he pushed past her and shoved it roughly into place with a bang. Unwilling to show him gratitude in this behavior, she jumped up the box. He followed soon after, but she didn't look back at him. Jen was so caught up in feeling angry at herself and Link that she didn't notice the trio of large bird monsters waiting for her.

Jen jumped down to continue, muttering to herself about insufficient communication, when she was interrupted by a squawk above her. She looked up just in time to roll out of the way as a bird monster slashed at her. She ran as fast as she could, ignoring the monsters that chased after her, letting them crash into each other as she raced to the tower.

Jen was forced to stop and face them when the path suddenly stopped. She wheeled around, fangs bared, only to find Link taking down the second bird. While the nearest one was momentarily distracted, she leapt onto its back and began slashing. While it was large enough to simply carry her away, she killed it fast enough that it didn't have time to fly. With the last bird down, she motioned to Link about the new way around the gap in the path.

They landed on the adjacent roof, still escaping more of the birds as they ran, precariously close to sliding all the way down the roof to the cobblestones below. More birds were flying after the two, and she could practically feel their claws on her fur. Their distorted cries rang in her ears as they ran. Jen saw the way back in the tower quickly, and before Link could react, she jumped on his back. He didn't stop, jumping onto the first low ridge and letting her jump up to the next one as she pulled him through the door.

The birds, in their haste to catch them, collectively got stuck in the entrance. The beasts tumbled to the floor on the other side of the window, banging hard against the stairs.

"Link, are you alright?" she panted, feeling a cut on her back and aching from bruises from the stairs.

"Yeah, fine," the obviously not fine wolf responded somewhere above her on the stairs. Jen stood up, shaking her hair dry of the rainwater. She noticed Link on the second stair above her. Because he had jumped into the window after her, he was definitely worse off than she was. He was bleeding from a trio of gashes on his back and another on one of his back legs. He was clearly bruised from the fall, mainly on his forelimbs and left shoulder, but he was standing and breathing.

"I'll have to patch you up later, but you look fine, I guess," she remarked as she took in his injuries, "Which way should we go?"

Link looked up and down the stairs, before shrugging, "I guess we go up."

Just a few stairs up, they found a large pair of doors that were cracked open. Two voices could be heard from inside, but they were talking in hushed voices and she couldn't make out the words. They shared a look and crept slowly into the room.

The room was just as cold as outside, and directly in front of them were two figures dramatically cast in shadow by a convenient window. Jen quickly recognized Midna by her signature glowing marks, but she could only see the fair skin of the nose and cheekbones of the cloaked human next to her. Link started snarling.

Midna wheeled around with a look of panic, but her expression changed into glee when she noticed them. The one adjacent to her gave a dainty gasp as she (Jen didn't think Ganon was a soprano) turned to face them. Jennifer recognized the Princess's eyes immediately, and looked away, trotting closer and sitting down politely, still looking at the floor. Link, too, approached the Princess, and she could practically hear Midna roll her eyes at the two.

"You made it!" Midna cried with barely restrained sarcasm, "I knew you could do it."

"So these are the two you found," the Princess phrased her sentence like she was reading an obituary. Midna shrugged, an alligator's grin plastered on her face.

"I mean, they still aren't exactly what I had in mind when I was hoping to find them, but they get the job done," Midna replied. Jen grumbled faintly under her breath and looked up, glaring at the former twilight princess. At the same time, she saw Link looking at the princess with a love-struck expression, though she was certain he was clueless as to who he was speaking to.

Oh dear lord, Jen thought to herself as she closed her eyes and fought off agitation. When she'd regained her composure, the Princess was kneeling at their height. Jen briefly made eye contact and awkwardly jerked her gaze away, glancing back at her every few moments. Thankfully, Zelda's gaze was focused on their cuffs, which still remained after Midna broke the chain. She was very silent for a moment as she looked at Link's foreleg.

"…You were imprisoned?" she asked quietly. She was silent again for another moment. "… I am sorry," she finished somberly. Jen exhaled slowly, letting Midna fill the silence.

"The poor thing! He has no idea where he is or what's happened… so, don't you think that you should explain to him what you've managed to do? You owe him that much," she said obnoxiously, before finishing with, "Twilight Princess!". A look of pain crossed the Princess's face, and a surge of anger coursed through Jen like ice. The second the girl could talk normally again, she was not going to shut up about Midna's past.

Before Jen could intercede, the Princess began to speak, "Listen carefully. This was once the land where the power of the gods was said to slumber. This was once the kingdom of Hyrule. But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king who rules the twilight. It has been turned into a world of shadows, ruled by creatures who shun the light…"

Her story disturbed her deeply. Jen of course knew the absolute basics of what had happened at the castle, but Zelda perfectly imprinted the panic and terror of what she went through onto them, expressing her grief at the unfortunate outcome as well.

It had been a normal day at the castle before the portal opened in the courtyard. The guards only had mere minutes to prepare for the threat, but they were quickly overrun by the ferocity and numbers of Zant's personal shadow beasts. Zelda herself had drawn a sword, but didn't have the opportunity to fight. Her personal guard and the common soldiers had fought bravely despite being outnumbered, leaving entire platoons either dead or grievously wounded.

That was when he made his arrival. (she looked at Midna in this part of Zelda's story. The imp looked like she was trying to enjoy their expressions, but at the same time looked like she was about to cry or scream).

None of the remaining guards could touch him. He exuded an aura of fear so strong that even the able-bodied could barely move. He was flanked by two of his own personal guards, shadow beasts with metal plates bare of feelers, but with gear teeth and drawn markings on their metal faces. At this point, only two of her soldiers remained standing, and they closed ranks around their princess as he approached.

The only words he spoke was an ultimatum. Surrender or die.

Without any further words spoken, Hyrule fell. Zelda was ushered up to her tower and kept under house arrest until… she didn't know when. It had been about three weeks since the first attack, and things had only gotten worse. The rest of the kingdom had fallen, and by now, almost the entirety of the land had fallen.

"Within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms. All the people know now is fear. Fear of a nameless evil," Zelda concluded morosely, "The kingdom has succumbed to Twilight, but I remain its princess."

Jen couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of awe as the Princess lowered her hood, officially revealing her presence. She looked to Link, whose expression hid none of his surprise. The princess was stunning. Even in the dim glow of the Twilight cloud, Princess Zelda radiated a sense of calmness and serenity that Jen couldn't help but to relax into. Her features were faintly standard of the princesses of ancient times, but the trademark blond hair was more of a light brown, and her eyes were much older than those of her ancestors.

"I am Zelda," she said simply.

"You don't have to look so sad!" Midna murmured loudly, like she was trying to talk to herself but failing to be quiet, "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual Twilight really that bad?"

'Keep it together, Jenny, maybe this is her way of consoling her?' the girl thought to herself.

Kill her right now. Something else thought. Jen rolled her eyes. Alright, Geoffrey-with-a-g, or she could refrain from committing a capitol offense and regicide.

"Midna, this is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been looking far and wide for you. Why is this?" Zelda chided calmly. Midna didn't reply for a moment, instead floating over to a nearby dresser and fiddling with the headpiece she wore. She hid her face for a moment and was blessedly quiet, before responding, "Why indeed? You tell me!" She finished her question with her signature giggle, but it seemed somewhat subdued.

Zelda turned to them, and she pricked her ears to attention.

"Time has grown short. The guard will soon make his rounds. You must leave here, quickly."

Jen followed Link as he reluctantly followed Midna to the door, but paused when she heard Zelda's voice.

"You, girl, can you stay a moment?"

Link paused in the doorway, as did Midna, but she nodded them on. Link hesitated a moment longer, and she gave him a reassuring nod and a small nudge on the leg to spur him onward. As Link's footsteps (pawsteps?) echoed from the room outside, she turned to the Princess of Hyrule with a calm and expectant expression (she hoped that's what it looked like, she was kinda busy ignoring the voice that told her she shouldn't be in the company of royalty) and kneeled at her feet.

"Your aura is unfamiliar to me, and yet I sense the goddess's blessing on you just like it is on Link and myself. You are a mystery to me, and yet you have found yourself on the same story as the bearers of the triforce. So, who are you?"

'I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that,' Jen thought to herself as an awkward silence grew between them. Zelda's scrutinizing gaze was something Jen couldn't match, and she awkwardly made brief eye contact before looking away. And again.

"… I see," the Princess said after a long minute, "Then I shall have to wait until we meet again, then. Go, assist the Hero as you were meant to do." She turned away from her, looking out the window. When she noticed Jen was still in the room, she cast a questioning glance in her direction, flicking her eyes to the door. The girl jumped to her feet, scrambling out the door, slamming her hip into the door on accident. Blinking back tears of pain, she noticed Link waiting for her.

"Took you long enough! Come on, I found a window." Midna greeted her impatiently, hovering over to an open window leading to the roof.

"What did the Princess want to see you for?" Link asked as she jumped onto his back delicately to get up to the window.

"Something about not recognizing my aura, don't worry about it. She just wanted to talk at me for a minute to keep me on my toes and on task. Look, let's just get going, I don't want the guards to spot us."

True to Zelda's warning, all three of them jumped when they heard the tell-tale slam of the door opening roughly.

"Shit!" she cursed, using the English swear word in her distress. The party immediately began running, lead by Midna down the stairs when she stopped in mid air suddenly. Jen almost missed a stair, and Link tripped, landing on his side. She winced, glancing back up at the imp.

"Damn, the guard!" True to her words, she could see the shadows of the monsters in the doorway.

Jen paused for half a second trying to comprehend their own stupidity. We just ran down the stairs towards the mean nasty corrupted monsters. Urg.

Midna looked around the stairwell hastily for another way out.

"There! The window!" Midna hissed. Jen looked up at her pointed finger. Thankfully Link seemed to be large enough to jump up, and Jen quickly ran up the wall to follow

Once she was out of the window frame, he quickly leapt up next to her. Unfortunately, as one would expect from a couple of beasts running straight at monsters to escape, she didn't think they went undetected.

A loud screech erupted from the window, and she saw a clawed hand scrabbling at the ornate stone that made up the castle wall. Jen flinched away from the noise, pinning her ears back against her head in a vain attempt to block it out. Link was doing a similar action, though he was snarling, exposing his fangs.

Midna bounded out of the windowsill, putting distance between herself and the horrible scream. She took one last look at the monster's grotesque hand before jumping out of the window and onto the slick roof tiles. Jen nearly slipped off of them when she noticed that the shadow kargarok swarming towards them like a thundercloud.

Midna quickly took notice of that fact as well, and the last thought that Jen registered before Midna opened a portal was how strangely happy she felt about the look of terror on her face.


	14. Ordon Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, remember when I said it would get angsty?

The trio re-formed in a stagnant pool of murky water. All of them immediately collapsed as they finished appearing; Midna from exhaustion, Link and Jen struggling to breathe. The creature felt like she couldn't get in air, no matter how much of it she took in. She managed to open one eye, and leapt out of the water at what she saw. The sacred pool she was standing in was black with algae and filth, and the rocks decorating the edges were completely encrusted in black vines.

"Link, get out of there!" she barked as she poked at the goopy water and desperately shaking the gunk out of her thick hair. He complied immediately, and they stood on the bank of the water calming the rapid beats of their hearts.

"Oh, goddesses, that's so gross," Jen murmured as she stared at the remains of the pond, trailing a finger through the gunk and wiping it on a rock. The guardian was nowhere in sight, and all residual traces of light magic had been crammed under layers of dark. Link suddenly tensed, and she became alert to danger. Jen couldn't hear, smell, or see anything out of the ordinary, however, and turned to Link in confusion.

He was looking around the former sacred pool with a mixture of horror and recognition, taking in every detail like he knew what it should look like. Then, without warning, he turned and sprinted for the exit, turning right.

"Jeez, what's gotten into him? Hurry up and catch him before he does something stupid!" Midna's voice, faintly breathless but still annoying, snapped her out of her stunned surprise, and she raced after him. Jen could move just as fast as Link when she really needed to, and she just managed to catch sight of his tail as he rounded the corner. Jen passed dead Moblins by the dozens, each just breathing their last. Others were still somewhat alive, and they swung at her with their clubs as she passed, forcing her to finish them off. The shards of their source magic got caught in her clothes before it faded, choking her breath like a cloud of smoke.

But still he ran.

Jen caught up to him as he passed by an old treehouse. When she said treehouse, she meant a large house located in the boughs of an ancient oak tree. He was staring up at it with forlorn homesickness.

"Link, what the hell are you doing?" she hissed when she finally caught up to him, "You can't just run off like that, it's too dangerous!"

Link didn't answer. Instead, he averted his gaze to a sagging old gate, leaping over it easily and racing off into the darkness. Jen rolled her eyes heavily and jumped over the bars after him.

She ran through a narrow gully between two jagged peaks for a while before she caught up to him. These hills looked like it had been used as a defense system, but now the only thing left was a pile of rotting, broken wood planks and a few arrows. She made a note of this as she continued onwards.

When she finally exited the path, Link was facing away from her, looking at a rustic old town that had a river and a mill. There was a path that went up the hill, though it was closed, much like the one She'd passed through. Truth be told, if she had been here without Link by her side, she wouldn't have thought twice about this worn-down community. It sucked right now.

There were monsters prowling the streets in packs, passing to and from the gate. No one human was outside. There were torches set up strategically, so that the light kept most of the monsters away. Jen couldn't be certain, but she thought she saw some goats grazing peacefully on the opposite side of the river, in the shadows of the forest. The entire town looked completely abandoned and wrecked to boot.

Link was still staring at the ruins of the village with horror written clearly on his wolfish face. He hadn't moved for a full ten seconds.

"Link?" she asked gently, "Link, we have to go. The sooner we look for – GAH!" The last part came because she felt something skitter underneath her foot. Jen shrieked like a banshee, cursing like a sailor, and scuttled away from whatever the thing was. She couldn't see it. She saw Link's ears and nose twitch, signaling his use of his wolf senses. He leapt suddenly, barking and snarling, at one specific dusty part of the ground. Jen tuned in to the same level of sensory sensitivity, and found herself face-to-ugly-face with the biggest bug she'd ever seen.

"JESUS H. CHRIST ON A BICYCLE, FUCK!" she screamed in English, leaping away from the hideous bug. It was huge, nearly the size of her entire torso with legs the length of her forearm or more, and all she saw was a large pair of mandibles and spiky legs. All aboard the Nope Train to Fuckthatville!

As she ran away from the hideous creature, it decided to chase her, and Link chased it. So whoever was watching hopefully was seeing only a creature being chased by a wolf, and not something more stupid.

Who was she kidding, the heroes looked incredibly unprofessional in that moment.

"Stay still!" Link yelled at her, furiously chasing the insect as it chattered menacingly, snapping at her tail.

"I would, but there is this nightmare fuel intent on eating me, thank you very much! Move faster, I'm not slowing down!" she shouted back, jumping slightly as the bug nipped at her tail, taking a mouthful of air and fur. Suddenly, it leapt into the air, sparking slightly with magical electricity, landing on her back. Jen shuddered at the touch of its thin legs as it dug into her leg. It bit into her calf, its huge mandibles passing through the material of her jeans easily, and she howled with pain as she felt its fiery bite. She stomped, squishing the bug off her, and raced away.

With a ferocious bark, Link full-body tackled the offending insect, biting into its carapace. With a short squeal, the crushed insect gave up the ghost, bursting into a pale blue light that hovered around him like a spirit.

She watched him observe the Tear of Light curiously for a second, and shook her head in amusement, but the pain in her leg made her wince. Jen craned her neck to look at it. There was a large gash in her calf, and it was bleeding profusely. The blood made her pants cling to her leg uncomfortably, and the pain made it difficult to move. It would certainly need stitches, if she couldn't close it with magic. She grimaced, looking around at the pitiful remains of the village. No doctor or healer in their right mind would dare stay around here.

A sudden warning bark drew her attention. Apparently, the commotion from their scuffle with the insect-thing had drawn undue attention, and the resident band of Moblins had arrived to investigate. Equally as unfortunately, Link's natural camouflage into the dim colors of the shadows was compromised as the Tear hovered over him like a beacon. Worst of all was that she would be worse than useless in this fight, as she only had one working leg and was losing blood at the moment.

There were four heavily armed Bokoblins advancing on Link, each of them wielding some sort of weapon. Link seemed to be fighting easily and naturally, taking them down one by one. However, there were more across the river, and potentially even more up the hill. If they decided to see how their companions were faring, then both of them would be worse than screwed.

Jen decided to do some quick thinking. She mentally pulled up an info sheet on everything she knew about this certain breed of Bokoblin, rapidly looking around her surroundings to find anything she could use against them. Her eyes feel on the river, specifically the larger pond that the main Bokoblin tribe had chosen to tent next to. In the twilight, it was almost impossible to tell where shore ended and river began. It would not be difficult to trick them into following something into the water. Luckily for her, Bokoblins not only had poor eyesight, but they also couldn't swim.

However, the Bokoblins were getting wise to the danger Link posed, and she was in no condition to move into a position where she could bring them to the water. Jen was instead hiding under the awning of a nearby building with a deep, deep wound in her calf.

Useless can't do anything to help just pitiful shouldn't even be here just a burden-

"Man, this place is a dump!"

She wheeled around to the source of the voice. To her surprise (wait, no, she wasn't that surprised), Midna was hovering directly to her left, a few feet above her. She glanced at her from the corner of her eye and gave her a broad, sharp-toothed grin. Then she turned back to the fight with a thoughtful hand on her chin, leaning back a little as she hovered.

"Who knew he could fight so well? Man, if only he showed that kind of ferocity with those Shadow Kargarok, then maybe we might not have wimped out so quickly!" Jen grunted a little bit in annoyance, settling back on her seat, delicately lifting her injured right leg in the air with a wince as she accidentally put weight on it. Midna noticed her pained whine, floating over to her right side to inspect it. Her only reaction to her injury was the slight climb of her eyebrows. She then hovered back over to her side of the doorway and continued making snide comments about the Bokoblins, the shoddy state of the town, and how Link fought.

Wait… plan to kill Bokoblins…

Jen turned to her and began whining as loudly as as high-pitched as she could. She pointedly ignored her, though she could see her sensitive ears twitching. She made another pious whine, longer and even more high pitched than the last. She barely looked in her direction, but her muscles began to tense with irritation. She took a page from her book and let a savage smile grace her lips as she continued to whine.

"What do you want?!" Midna suddenly yelled, irritation etched into every line in her face. Jen began to limp to the water, noticing she wasn't following. She hopped delicately on one limb, whining shrilly, then jogged to the water's edge. Jen gestured towards the water, hoping she would get the hint. Instead, Midna rolled her eyes.

"What, do you want me to lift you into the water or something?". Jen grumbled a little under her breath, whining again.

"Great golden goddesses, do you ever shut up? What is it?!" Midna's eyes were wide, and her teeth were bared, with her hands gripping her long ears tightly.

Jennifer eased her whining, motioning again to the 20+ Bokoblins on the water's edge. Jen barked once, catching the attention of one Bokoblin particularly close to the water. It stood, noticed them, charged with a squeal, and promptly fell into the water, sinking quickly. She turned to Midna with a lopsided beast-grin, motioning again. Midna looked slightly impressed, and flashed her a smirk.

"Bet'cha I can get them all!" she hissed, bounding through the air to hover just over the water. She began to shriek like a banshee, mimicking the Bokoblin attacking cry. Without hesitation, the entire collection of Bokoblins released their own cries, rushing to attack Midna.

None of them touched her. By hovering close enough to the water to appear like she was standing on it, she confused the monsters into thinking it was really land. Paired with the poor lighting and the Bokoblins' natural stupidity, they all sank. A few of them, by standing on the shoulders of their drowning companions, swung at Midna, but she easily leapt out of the way, perching on a high rock formation and leering down at the dying canon fodder.

Jen found the situation much more disturbing than she imagined in her head.

"Ha! I told you! Good goddesses, they really fell for that! Eee hee! Look at their faces!" Midna cackled, zooming around the dying monsters like a demonic bird, pulling on their ears and kicking Bokoblins deeper underwater. Jen grinned nervously, leaving Midna to her fun as she left to check on Link.

'Note to self, when giving Midna a challenge, don't make it a to-the-death one. Results are disturbing'. she thought to herself with a shudder. Link was where she'd left him, standing over the last Bokoblin as it exploded into shards. His back was to her, facing the way they entered the village.

"Link!" she called to him. He jumped a mile, wheeling around to face her with his teeth bared. Jen recoiled a pace at his expression and appearance. He looked like hell, with fluffed up fur and blood trailing down his back. Another bleeding cut was on his hind right leg, and she noticed an arrow in the grass near him. A near miss by an armed monster. Curiously, none of the Bokoblins had any bows, leading her to worry about more monster species nearby. The Tear of Light was still hovering above his back, casting creepy shadows down his back and highlighting his features in all the wrong places.

"Link?" she asked, "are you alright?"

He breathed a loud huff, sneezed slightly, and her panic faded minutely. He trotted forward almost amiably, though clearly favoring his back leg. He eyed the bite on her leg and cracked a grin that would have been less frightening if he wasn't a wolf.

"Fine, though I could be better. Seems that bug got the better of you, eh?" he replied, cocking his head to the side a little.

"That thing was literally as big as my chest. I could have gotten eaten, you insensitive furball! Besides, you look even worse! I guess we both could use a shower and some Band-Aids, eh?" she grumbled, adding a mocking tone to 'eh'.

"What's a Band-Aid?" he asked.

"Small, sticky bandage that's good for small cuts," she replied flippantly. She looked around the square, eying the damaged buildings, "though it doesn't look like anyone's around to hand them out."

Link's expression soured quickly (well, as sour as a wolf's face could get) as she mentioned the town's sorry state, and she couldn't help but feel that she was missing some really important context.

"Uh, Link, not to be pushy, but that's a nasty look you've got there," Jen said, hoping he'd tell her more.

"Hm," he grunted, and began to trot… somewhere.

"Link, where're you going?" she yelled after him. He didn't reply, walking up the hillside like he had a purpose. He didn't respond, picking up his pace and sprinting up the hill. Clearly, that gash in his leg was not slowing him down in the least.

"Where's he going?" Midna asked suddenly. Jen nearly leapt out of her hide until she realized who it was, furiously berating herself for jumping like a startled cat. She didn't answer her, though, instead opting to yell after the disappearing form of the wolf.

"Link! Link, slow down!" she called, beginning to lightly jog to try to catch up. Her calf protested loudly and she was forced to stop. Despite her cries, Link didn't hold up, and she was quickly left in the dust. Midna sneered at the path where he had been a few seconds previously.

"Well? Go fetch him!" she said with a lazy wave of her hand. She pointed to the slow-moving Tear with a different grin, "Good thing we have him tagged!" Jen sneered at her and awkwardly limped up the hill after him, following the path the Tear of Light took. She trotted past several branching paths marked their own signs made nigh-illegible with age and neglect. There was also a gate on most of them, though each was smashed to shards. A quick look down each of these paths revealed trashed gardens, ruined buildings, or destroyed animal pens with the animals nowhere in sight. Jennifer noticed that each of these places had large paw prints in the dust leading to them.

Link's large paw prints.

The marks in the dusty trails were frantic and rushed, like he was still running. At one particular trail, she noticed some blood and fur left behind on a bush, and further investigation led her to discover a tunnel hidden by the shrub. Link's trail didn't go further than the bush, and the Tear was still moving, so she decided not to follow it any further, though she memorized the location away for later.

Finally, at the way end of the trail, she found Link fighting with a good-sized band of Moblins, confirming her suspicion of multiple looters. There was a large campfire in the middle of the clearing, with a large goat-like creature with conjoined horns roasting on a spit. Link was furiously tearing into the neck of the leader while the rest of the squad shrieked and swung at him. Fortunately, none of their passes were connecting, and as the band leader disintegrated, the Moblins seemed hesitant to fight the snarling wolf.

Even with their leader dead, they approached Link threateningly, swinging their weapons over their heads and letting out gurgling grunts. Jen rushed forward, weaving between their clubs, tripping them either backwards into the fire or pitching them off-balance for Link to handle. Those unlucky few who landed in the fire raced back into town, which held the nearest large body of water. Jennifer hoped Midna would get a kick out of helping them drown themselves in the deceptively deep water.

Eventually, when their numbers were whittled down to only four or five, the survivors realized that the fight was completely hopeless, and rushed headlong into the forest. They stood gasping for breath and watched the last of the Moblins disappear into the dark woods in silence. The Tear of Light, having found its master again, hovered above them, providing unnecessary light.

Glancing up, Link locked eyes with the goat's carcass and shuddered.

"We should get rid of that," he muttered as he examined the remains of what looked like a (completely trampled) goat pen. Jen could just barely catch him mutter, "Urg, Fado, I hope you're okay."

She opted not to mention that she heard him say that. With a shock, she finally put 2 and 2 together.

'Oh, crap, this is his hometown,' she thought to herself, 'Oh my god, I've been so insensitive! And stupid, but let's think about that later!'

"I'm going to get some water to douse this fire," Link said out of the blue, distracting her from her mental berating. Suddenly, her stomach growled impressively loudly, and she realized that she hadn't eaten anything since… oh, man, she hadn't eaten anything since that protein bar back in New York!

As if on cue, Link's stomach also gave a terrific growl. Both noticed that the dead goat also smelled amazingly good.

"Lunch first?" she offered, poking at the spit. Link sighed.

"Now isn't the time for levity. My home is in ruins and I can't find anyone! We can't afford a break!" he growled, steadily getting angrier. She flinched backwards, almost singeing her foot. Jennifer shook herself out for confidence, sitting down by the goat and arranging herself so that her injured leg would protest minimally.

"I'm just saying that the spell I cast only hides the effects of weeks of starvation, and you still need to eat. You're no use to anyone if you're dead. And you know what that means. That's right, then there will be no one to save your village from the eternal reign of a tyrant!" she tried to sound calm, but sarcasm and irritation bled into her words as an entire day of stress and frayed nerves wore away her cool. Link growled deep in his throat in response, but before he could get a word in otherwise, Midna appeared.

"Ah! There you are! Jeez, if you wanted privacy, you could have just asked," the imp muttered, partially to herself, as she surveyed the remains of the Moblin encampment. She perked up as she noticed the cooking goat.

"Ah! And you found us something to eat! Good for you! I think now's a good time for a break, wouldn't you agree? I'm starving!" And like that, she set herself on a nearby post and leaned back. Jen looked to Link for advice, but almost recoiled at his icy glare. She would have preferred his vocal anger to the expression he wore. But she chose to ignore it.

"Well, then, I guess she's the boss. If you can collect a few rocks, I think I can find a knife and some plates. Deal?" she asked, pausing.

"I thought the deal was that I was in charge, and we didn't have to talk," he hissed back. Anger flared in her chest, along with… hurt? Yup, hurt.

"Well I thought the deal was that you'd drop that attitude when we left, but I suppose that's too much to ask," Jen hissed back, flashing her teeth in a sneer. Link growled back, but didn't respond, so she left to go loot the abandoned village. She might not have felt good about it, but it was necessary. As she trotted over to the lowly town, she was entirely startled to find a small wisp located through the ruin of a house in the main square that was tucked somewhat into the corner between two shelves of rock. Though she was surprised she hadn't seen it earlier, she honed in to the spirit, listening to what it had to say.

The form of the spirit was a young woman with tired eyes wearing peasant's clothes, sporting a… oh my goddesses, she was pregnant. She was severely swollen, looking like she would go into labor at any given minute. She was crouched beneath a long table, saying nothing, but the expression on her face was one of absolute, mortal terror. Her heart ached for her, and she renewed her vow to help. Hesitantly, she picked her way around her form, ensuring she didn't scare her (spirits only responded to major stimuli or changes to their immediate environment) as she hopped around the ruin of what might have been her house. Jen found a large carving knife right next to her, and delicately took it into her mouth, careful to not touch her.

On a whim, she nicked a nearby curtain (missing the metal) and draped it around the table, hiding the glow of the wisp from sight entirely. Satisfied that she would be safe, she took another nearby pillowcase and dumped it on the ground, placing the knife in it. She could use that as a sack for the stuff she found. In another cupboard, she found some bandages and what she hoped was antiseptic. She quickly cleaned and dressed the bite on her leg, satisfied when the healing ointment took effect and reduced the sharp ache.

In another house, Jen found a random saucer of (spoiled) milk that was half-empty. She dumped the milk onto the ground, putting the dirty saucer in the river before she took it. She also managed to open a pantry, where she found some wooden plates and cutlery. Jen also found a random blue rupee, and stashed that away as well. The total items that she ended up with were a knife and fork for Midna, three plates, a saucer of water, the carving knife, the blue rupee and a pillowcase.

As she dragged her stolen goods back up the hill, she spotted Link shuffling around the woods on the edge of the village, the Tear of Light still hovering nearby. He was completely silent, save for the faint snuffling of his nose as he searched for some faint scent. He glanced at her from the side of his eye, observing her and her pillow bag. He sneered and trotted off in a different direction, still searching for a scent.

'I hope you find something repulsive' she thought to herself with a growl. Jen picked up her bag, dragging it up the hill. It kicked up dust that lingered in the air as she passed, dancing in the twilight. She was alone with her thoughts, except for the occasional chatter of some far-off monster or animal.

She sank into a daydream quickly, pretending she was on a hike to find the amulet that would return the day. She was almost at the magical, mystical grove when she ran into the one piece of the shattered gate still standing.

"Ah! There you are, finally! Jeez, I was wondering if you fell into some hole somewhere," Midna said, looking up from where she was reclining on a nearby rock. Jen ignored her, as usual, and simply dropped the pillowcase of stuff she was carrying. Midna zipped over, picking up the large knife and a plate, carving herself a generous piece and sitting down again, biting into the meat happily. Her stomach growled again, louder than ever, and she started whining as loudly as she could.

"Keep it down, Yarie, I'm trying to eat here!" the imp said around a mouthful of food. Jen continued barking, gesturing at the knife, then to the meat and to one of the plates.

"Oh, right. You're hungry, aren'tcha? Fine, then, if you can find the wolf, and bring him back here, I'm sure I can spare a little something for you." Without another word, she turned back to her meal, loudly smacking her lips as she bit into the goat meat again.

Inwardly seething with rage, she turned and walked back down the trail. How the heck was she supposed to find a wolf who didn't want to be found? The dusty trail offered no fresh clues as to where he could be found, and she fruitlessly checked the surrounding buildings and structures for any sign of him.

When she arrived back in the town square, a new scent was hanging in the air. At first, she couldn't recognize it. The new scent was heavily laden with the stench of fear, sweat, dirt, and leaves, but there was one last part of the smell that she couldn't place, though it seemed familiar. Jen almost believed that a deer had wandered through the town while they were away, when she realized that the unrecognizable part of the smell was something she had recognized on Link before, as well as people in NYC; the smell of a person.

Nose in the air, she trailed the scent to the edge of the forest beyond the town, when she found another scent, very similar to the first. Another person, she surmised. Jennifer was about to enter the forest to see if she could find these people when a thought occurred to her. What if they thought she was a monster and tried to kill her? It would be a really pathetic way to go if she was killed by the people she was trying to rescue.

She decided to leave the scent; so long as it didn't become a problem, she could ignore it. Granted, she also wanted to follow it simply to see where all the wisps were, and because her job was literally to save these people. Jen decided against following the trail partially because as wisps, people were much safer, as they were incorporeal. Nothing could truly hurt them. As she turned away from the woods, she noticed a fleck of blood and a small tuft of grey fur on a nearby bush. The girl gave it a brief sniff, almost choking on the cloying, coppery tang of blood, but she knew the scent immediately. Link.

The trail was fresh, and she picked a new path back towards the dusty trail to the goat pens. The trail seemed to suddenly go up the hillside, around one of the houses, and towards the top of a nearby hill. It required a lot of jumping on her behalf, and she began to wonder if doing this was really worth it. After all, she could just as easily leave him and let him walk down on his own than pick him up.

Finally, after what felt like hours of climbing, she reached the summit of one of the hills overlooking the village. Jen almost cried in relief when she spotted Link's shape, outlined against the yellowing grass on the hilltop by the seemingly ever-present light of the Tear. Breathing hard, she collapsed next to him silently. He was lying down, head on his legs, with his back legs sticking out sideways. Jen sat on the side opposite his back legs, just to his right.

"Link, Midna says that she has food ready for you if you want it," she said breathlessly, breathing deeply to steady her heart rate.

"I'm not hungry for stolen meat," Link replied evenly. She glared at his back, absently noticing his ribs.

"Doesn't matter. Its either stolen food or you starve," she snapped, "And besides, the Moblins already killed it. So its either stealing food from somewhere else or eating now. I don't know about you, but I'd like to eat something now. Midna wants you there anyways, but whether or not you come willingly is your choice."

Link stood up suddenly, staring her down with no small amount of frustration in his eyes. The Tear of Light deepened the contours of his body like a bolt of lightning. The effect was somewhat terrifying. The fact that she was still sitting down and he was twice her size didn't help matters in the slightest. He began growling at her in frustration.

"Midna this, Midna that, its like… you're so… you act like you don't have a will of your own! You just follow the stupid imp wherever it takes you and you do whatever it tells you! And worse, you're making me do the same! Look, you've been very helpful to me, but at the same time you're just… so obedient! You've gone along with whatever she wants you to do! She really does have you trained well."

Son of a bitch. Jen clambered to her feet indignantly, glaring up at the offending wolf, "And your point? Look around, asshole! You are starving to death, we're both animals, and Midna still got us out of the castle in one piece! At least she is trying to do something, rather than just moping around these ruins like…like… grah! You've been acting incredibly fucking unhelpful, you fucking stale piece of toast! The only way things will get better is if you contribute, not if you starve yourself! That spell I put on you hides the effects of starvation, but it doesn't fix it. So get your sorry ass back down here or I will let you die!" she hissed, turning her back on him as Jen leapt back down the hill. She sat down on the hill, slightly out of sight, trying to cull her anger and frustration. Her patience had worn down to a string, and she needed to relax. She needed to get him to the fire. Jen needed to get him from point A to point B to fix this shit. She needed to relax and let him relax too.

"Wait," she heard Link mutter. She paused, turning back around sharply.

"Look, Yarie-"

"That's not my name." she cut in.

"What?"

"That's not my name. My name isn't Yarie." she replied. Link looked confused.

"But isn't that what Midna called you?"

"Yes, but it's not my name." she responded. Link looked even more bewildered, but then shook his head, understanding dawning on his features.

"Then I suppose introductions are in order." She rolled her eyes, but with a small smile, and jumped back up onto the hillside next to him. Success. The two sat down facing each other, though Link towered over her.

"Hello, young lady, my name is Link, Hero of Legend, of Ordon Town, in Hyrule as a human citizen of Hyrule under the reign of Princess Zelda the Wise of the House of Royalty." Link said with the tone of voice that he was meeting a young child. She paused for a second before replying. Some misguided sense of pride and patriotism asked for her to use a longer title, so she did.

"Hello, Link, Hero of Legend, my name is Jennifer Temperance Aubry the Goddess-Blessed, of the human House of Aubry, of New York City, of the state of New York, citizen of the United States of America, under the command of the 44th president, President Barack Obama of the House Obama, on North America, on the American Continent, on Earth, of the only living planet in its solar system in the Milky Way Galaxy of the Universe, a point in the multiverse unique to itself," she responded just as politely. "My title is longer than yours, so ha!" she added childishly.

"Huh." Link looked entirely overwhelmed. Jen laughed at his mildly vacant expression, and he shook himself back into reality. "I guess you're right. You win," he conceded, "So, your real name is Jennifer Temperance Aubry. I don't know if I know anyone who could pronounce your name correctly, honestly. Also, what does being Goddess-Blessed even mean?"

She shrugged. "Truth be told, it's just something that Zelda told me. You know, when she asked to talk to me in private? She said that I had Goddesses' Blessing or something like that, as are you and Zelda both. I guess it has something to do with you being the Hero of Legend, bearer of the Triforce of Courage and all that," Jen surmised, looking at the faint mark on Links left forepaw for emphasis. He followed her gaze, absently observing the marking adorning his foot without much interest. He huffed lightly to himself disdainfully.

"Yeah. You know, when I was a kid, I practically grew up on stories about the past Heroes of Legend. It feels strange actually being one of them. All the heroes are supposed to be … heroic. Strong and cunning and … courageous. And I don't feel that way at all. I'm stuck here, in the middle of the wreck of the only home I've ever known, and I...I…" he broke off, unable to form words. Feeling slightly uncomfortable in the sudden emotion of the moment, she looked at the view.

"So, you grew up around this old dump?" she said suddenly. Jen regretted her choice of words almost immediately. Some things don't translate too well into Hylian. Link looked affronted.

"Dump? Ordon village isn't a dump! It's the second largest village in Hyrule! It's the leading export for farm animals and their products! How dare you call it a dump!" he hissed angrily, not quite strong enough to yell. Jen still flinched, though.

"S-sorry, sorry, that's really not what I meant. It's a more of a… uh… English thing to say. T-the actual meaning is lost in translation. It's like calling something… un… uninspiring? Common? Basically that, but kinda…but fondly, if that…if you can understand what I'm trying to … communicate…say?" she replied shakily, trying to find the right words for conveying the sense of home as a… urg, English is weird.

"You describe my home as a… bad place? But in a good way? I really don't understand what this means," Link responded incredulously.

"…yes? It's like saying something like, "Oh, this place is familiar and I like it, but I don't know if you will get what I like about this place". It's like a furthered form of understatement, y'know? It doesn't mean it's a bad place to be, it's just not as big or as grand as someplace else. Like New York, for example. Compared to New York, where I'm from, this place isn't much other than a rough place out of the woods, but I know that you love it for something other than how it looks. You take pride in where you're from for something other than its impressiveness. I'm just commenting on that, if you can understand what I'm saying," Jen finally stammered out. She hoped that he'd gotten the sense of what he'd tried to say. Link certainly looked like he'd understood, if only somewhat.

"Yeah, I grew up in this old dump," he replied nonchalantly. She inwardly let out a sigh of relief. They were silent again for a while. She couldn't think up any way to further the conversation and Link didn't feel like filling the silence, so they sat quietly, admiring the hillside. Left to her own thoughts, Jen suddenly remembered her hunger.

"Link?" she asked quietly. He turned to look at her silently.

"Do you want to eat now?" she continued awkwardly, remembering how angry he got about the stolen goods a few minutes ago. He looked back at the hills and for a second she was worried that she'd insulted him somehow. But then he slowly stood up, joints crackling like Rice Krispies in milk (wow, she really was hungry if that's where her mind went), and stretched. He nodded to her. Jen leapt down the hillside carefully, mindful of the drop, until they returned to the main road.

He silently followed her as she led the way up to the main goat enclosure. Midna was already there, pensively chewing on a piece of meat. She didn't notice them at first. Link calmly barked to catch her attention. Her eyes slid almost languidly from the woods to her animal minions, barely giving them any attention.

"Yes?" she asked. Jen's urge to kill her rose ever higher. Maybe she was just hangry, but the way that she gave them no more attention than a meal just… Urg! All the wrong buttons. Link motioned towards the still-cooking goat.

"Oh, you're hungry," Midna said, stating it as a fact. She warped from atop her perch to the roast, deftly wielding the butcher knife, handing them both a heaping plate of meat. Jen had just as much on her plate as Link did, which amused her for some reason. Midna set both plates down on the dirt near the fire and teleported back to her meal silently. Jen was almost worried. Midna had said no more than three and a half words to them, and even performed a task for them without complaint.

Jen counted her lucky stars for that one second of silence.

She settled in front of the plate she decided had less meat on it, though it was still much more than she could eat. Jen decided Link could have the rest, since he could certainly consume what he had in front of him. The first few minutes they ate almost silently, except for light meal-time noises. Jen fully expected the late lunch to go by completely without conversation. The meat was fairly bland and somewhat dry from being cooked for so long, but to the hungry stomach, it was a feast for a king. She ate a little less than half the plate Midna gave her before stopping due to a sudden bout of the hiccups. She gave the rest to Link, who ate it with gusto.

By the time all of them had finished their plates, Jen estimated that night was not too far away. Though, to be honest, she had no idea when night would come. It was just as dim now as it had been before. She was feeling sleepy enough to lie down for a nap, though, and Link didn't look too energetic to her either. Midna was still staring off into space, though her eyes seemed half-lidded and her blinks were slow. Turning to the massive wolf next to her, Jen decided to inquire about his somnolent demeanor. Jen stood up and stretched, looking down at the wolf, who was staring into the eerie coals under the goat.

"Link, are you tired yet?" she asked quietly, trying not to ruin the post-feast atmosphere. He lazily moved his head, though didn't raise it off the ground. He had sprawled out completely on the dirt, belly facing the fire. He didn't respond, though his half-lidded and unfocused eyes were answer enough. Jen felt somewhat silly thinking that he couldn't not be exhausted if he was in that position. She was barely in the mood to move at all.

"Same. I'm going to return this stuff we borrowed and then I'm going to find a bed. Want to come with me?" she murmured. He exhaled hard, wiggling his legs weakly. He gave her a look that said, I would, but I'm too tired.

"Fine, you lazy butt, I'll just have to have the best bed in all of Ordon Town all to myself! Have fun sleeping in the dirt!" she said jokingly. Link grunted to himself, rolling over and sitting up. As she turned and began to collect their dirty dishes and other stolen items, he stretched and followed her down the path. After a moment of watching her get dragged downhill by the heavy pillowcase with her badly injured leg, he seemed to remember his manners.

"Here, let me carry that," he decided, taking the pillowcase into his own mouth as she dropped it a third time to breathe.

"Thanks," the girl muttered as he effortlessly picked it up. Jen suddenly remembered exactly how large wolves are. He came up to her hip easily. The walk down was silent, though Jen could see Link glance around the familiar road at the nearby buildings. She felt a sudden rush of pity for the thin wolf in front of her. He had just lost his home, was pretty much mentally tortured for weeks as he was left to rot in a cell, starved until he could barely move, and was now stuck with an obnoxious shadow who bossed him around and had to help a petty thief rob his neighbors just to survive.

Wait, did she just call herself a petty thief? This is turning into a weirdly self-critical analysis of her survival skills. Eh, she guessed it couldn't be helped. And besides, they were giving the stuff back. Kind of.

To distract herself from her thoughts, she became focused on her surroundings. The fading light of the unnatural Twilight case everything into shadow, putting her on edge. The dying grasses and leaves of the trees helped drain the atmosphere of color and to give the world a foreboding edge. The partially torn down and burned husks of some passing houses and buildings that they passed did not help the tone in the slightest. She had a feeling that if she didn't have supernaturally assisted sight (thank the goddesses for that) then she would be nearly blind.

Okay, this was not the distraction she was hoping for. Look for the pretty things, dammit!

She took a closer look at the treeline. she guessed that the flakes of magic drifting around them looked somewhat cool. The faintly golden color of the hazy ambient magic nicely outlined the dark flakes, and toned down the hard outlines of the buildings. Though, to be honest, it just made the world look like a horror map in a video game. There was no color whatsoever and the blurred outlines of things just made her feel helpless and gave her a mild sick feeling in her stomach. She renewed her vow to restore everything with utmost haste.

The blinding glare from the Tear of Light took her attention. It was a pathetically feeble-looking thing. It occasionally dripped light magic that was bright blue in color, though that dissolved pretty quickly in the Dark-saturated environment. She liked the color immensely. If she could find a pencil in a color that matched it, she'd probably try to sketch a dress design or a nice doodle. Doodling aside, it was probably the most depressingly reassuring thing she'd ever seen. On one hand, it was a beacon of Light in the Dark. On the other hand, it was literally the only Light thing she'd seen all day.

Her thoughts suddenly drifted over the events of the day. Jen wondered how the Avengers were doing, as well as the other citizens of New York. And what about her parents? Zach? Vera? … Mrs. M? And what about the other servants of the household? Tears pricked at her eyes when she thought about what might have happened to them. They were family. More so than her parents.

Suffering because you couldn't do one damn thing right.

Jen shook her head violently to clear it and refocused on the task at hand. She suddenly felt guilty about berating Link for mourning for his town when she was only now allowing herself to mourn her own. They both needed support, not criticism. She couldn't allow herself the luxury of crying just yet. Link couldn't either. They both had a job to do. What would the Goddesses think of her for crying now? She had prepared and trained for this practically her whole life, and now she was slacking on the job. Billions of lives rested on her shoulders, Light and Dark and Nonmagical. Jen couldn't take her time with this mission.

She suddenly realized that they were back in the town proper, and that Link had put down their stolen goods someplace. She had unthinkingly followed him to the opposite outskirts of town, right outside of the Ultimate Treehouse. He paused, staring up at the ancient flora. Jen followed his gaze to admire the craftsmanship of the wood. Absently, she thought about owning a place like this. That would be cool. Nice relaxing nooks all over the place, an attic that opened into the tree branches, maybe a swing far above the ground. Ah, soothing translucent green drapes, plenty of natural light, maybe a glass prism in the corner. A table full of knick-knacks. A closet with a hidden escape tunnel in it. A hammock in the branches.

So many soothing thoughts came into her head at the thought of a tree house that she almost missed Link's fleeting form as he disappeared into the trees. Jen would have forgotten him completely if it wasn't for the vanishing light of the Tear causing the immediate area to sink into frightening darkness.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?" she yelled after him as he trotted into the forest. Cursing under her breath, she ran after him. The trees leered down at her and she shivered slightly. Stupid forest, stupid Twilight. Fortunately, he hadn't been going that fast, and she was able to spot him turning off the main path onto a smaller trail that led more deeply into the darkening forest. There was a small trail-marker that she recognized. He was heading back to that filthy old sludge-pond they landed in. Jen followed the light of the hovering Tear as she caught up with him, trotting alongside him.

"What the hell, Link? You ditched me in the dark forest, you ass!" she barked up at him. He had the nerve to look sheepish.

"Sorry, Jennifer. It's a habit of mine," he explained, swishing his tail slightly. Jen exhaled strongly through her nose, though took a moment to look around. She had to admit, if it hadn't been enshrouded in darkness, the place could've looked nice.

"What did you do that made you go to this scum-trap?" she asked, partially to herself.

"Well, usually, at the end of the day, I would go wash and water my horse, Epona. Then I'd wash myself and go back home to sleep. After a while, it just became sort of a routine," he disclosed quietly. She fell silent as well, deciding to allow him to indulge in his familiar routine. The two walked quietly down the foreboding and well-worn trail, the light of the Tear guiding the way. As they walked, the trees gave way to the old pond. The sandy shore was stained a greenish - or perhaps yellowish, it was hard to tell in this darkness – black, and the water itself was like a black slurry of everything she hated about the Twilight.

Link sighed wearily. He sat at the edge of the pool, careful not to touch the water, and bowed his head. Jen pushed her head into his shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting way. She had a dog once, and he did that all the time, so she supposed it would be a good substitute for a hug. The former humans stayed like this for a few moments, until Jen noticed that the Tear of Light had suddenly disappeared, dousing them in heart-attack-inducing darkness. Link flinched hard enough for her to get scared as well, and they both bolted to their feet, spluttering in surprise and fright.

The pond suddenly pulsed with a bolt of Light magic. Then another. And another. Jen stood, mesmerized, as the pond slowly dimpled at the top layer. A small, hazy patch of pure Light energy collected above the surface of the water and surrounding stones, barely holding a spherical shape. She leapt backwards in alarm as a rogue wave almost doused her with corrupt water, though Link wasn't as fortunate and was splashed with the rancid water. Before she could think of laughing, an ancient and tired voice emanated from… somewhere.

"O courageous Hero... you ... and your companion... are burdoned with a journey nigh impossible..."The guardian's voice was impossibly deep, reverberating deep within her chest not uncomfortably. It made her feel … dare she say it… safe.

"The challenges are great... and the fate of Hyrule rests in the balance..." the spirit continued. "I am weakened... my Light was stolen... but you recovered enough for me to impart one gift to you..." As the fallen spirit spoke, a small, strange looking chain of connected pale beads rose from the depths of the water, settling around Link's neck. She frowned. It looked more like a tool to do another upcoming task than something really useful to them right now. Like maybe a flashlight, or a sword and shield.

"This will carry my Tears, so that they may not cause you trouble in carrying them... Please take it, and restore Light..." Quietly, the Spirit's presence faded, casting the two in complete darkness once again. The chosen heroes were quiet for some time, thinking over what the Spirit had told us as its soothing, almost hypnotic presence left them.

Wait… this was a request to perform another task! WITH THOSE STUPID BUGS! Jen shrieked inwardly.

As if they had a mental link, they both groaned at the top of their lungs as they thought about hauling themselves around the town in search of those filthy insects.

"Tomorrow?" she asked Link tiredly.

"Tomorrow," he affirmed just as flatly.

The matter was settled. As dusk's fading fingers of light vanished, she curled up on someone's pillow with Link at her feet. Jen relaxed as Link started to snore, letting all of the day's distractions slip from her mind. Tomorrow. She closed her eyes one last time, and sank into a restful sleep.

Hours later, she was rudely kicked to the floor as Link shoved her in his sleep. Just to make things clear, if it's late and she's tired, she gets groggy and irritable. So she kicked him, hard.

When the morning came, she had all the blankets and Link was on the floor.


	15. Ordona's Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesus it's chapter 15 already.

Bright and early, she jumped out of bed feeling better than she had in a long time. She and Link had crashed in the mayor's former house, which happened to be the most intact place they could break in to. She couldn't remember most of what happened after she curled up to sleep, but she felt awake and alert. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, if you would. Even though she wasn't a morning person at all, she felt fully awake and ready to overcome anything.

Link, Midna, and Jen had goat's meat for breakfast, of course, but that wasn't enough to ruin her perfectly good morning. Even if it did feel like swallowing leather.

Link, on the other hand, had slept poorly. He kept staring off into different points of space and drooling. His eyes were unfocused on anything he looked at and he barely spoke. Midna, too, seemed to share his unfortunate lack or rest. Jen didn't know where she went to spend the night, though. She wasn't at the mayor's house or anywhere near there. Both of them were robotically chewing on the leathery meat like it was a chore. Jen tore through her meat as quickly as she could without developing hiccups. It was scratchy and bland, but it was food.

The Vessel of Light that the spirit had given them was hanging around Link's neck and swinging slightly as he ate. She had offered to take it, but Link had taken it after he realized that she was too small to fit it around her neck. The Vessel itself had about four rows of two pale pearls, with eight spheres in total. Only one of these was glowing slightly, a sign that their work was yet unfinished. It cast a ghostly glow, catching the muted tones of Link's fur and turning them blue.

"So, what's the plan for catching the rest of the bugs?" Jen asked as she finished the last bites of her breakfast. Link swallowed pensively, looking down at the Vessel around his neck. He shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe we should start searching the most likely places, like the town and a few of the surrounding areas. We should start looking."

From the wreckage of the mayor's house, Midna found a map of the entirety of the village. When lit by the Vessel of Light, it glowed in seven places. Link looked at it and frowned pensively.

"It seems that the insects have spread out. I can find the bugs in these places," Link motioned to the northern four spots, "And I can let you catch the insects… Wait, sorry. We should stick together. I forgot how small you are."

Jen glared daggers as he gave a wolfish smile. Midna looked on in amusement.

"There's one by the goatbarn, right over there, so that's the first one we'll get. I think I can see it from here, anyway. There's three others in the village, so we should go for those after that. The one here, that's just upstream, on a small spot of land which floods each year. I use it for fishing. The next seems to be… is that supposed to be Sera's shop? So that one's just over there. The last one is… I think where I was moping last night. Maybe they went into the forest when they heard us coming. There seems to be another on the bridge, so that's five. Oh, two in my house, wonderful. How're we going to get in there? Oh, wait, there's one in a tree. That's going to be fun. This seems to be a relatively linear path, anyway. Let's go!" Link said, standing up and shaking himself off. Midna took back the map with a grin.

"So you two know what you're doing? Perfect! I'll hang around, call me if you need anything!" She laughed and zoomed off somewhere. Jen turned to Link as he trotted over to the goat barn in the corner of the field.

"Link, you still need rest," she reminded him. He stopped trotting over to the goatbarn.

"I'm feeling better today than yesterday. Might as well try to take advantage of it," he replied cheerfully. Jen quirked an eyebrow.

"The effects of my spell wore off yesterday. Get over here," she commanded. Link huffed but trotted back to the campsite. She took a closer look at his body. Sure enough, while his ribs stuck out, they did so less, and while he did look thin, he didn't look as desperately weak as he had the day before.

"That's… you shouldn't..." she muttered to herself in disbelief. He shouldn't be able to trot so easily, now that she thought about it. It had only been a day. Recovery should have taken weeks. A thought struck her, "Show me your leg, where the triforce marks your paw."

She looked specifically at the chain, where it met the cuff. Sure enough, there it was. Inside the curve of each chain was a single rune, carved roughly into the metal. Drain. With the power of the Triforce being constantly siphoned away, and as he was forced to maintain a non-wisp form in an environment without Light magic… he experienced symptoms similar to starvation.

Jen frowned. "This shouldn't be possible… but here's my theory. Hylians need a constant source of Light Magic to survive, otherwise they start experiencing symptoms similar to starvation. As a bearer of the Triforce of Courage and the Chosen Hero, your actual body and magic are being sustained by the Triforce. Hylians are beings of magic, not like Humans of my planet, and so when you lost connection to the world's Light magic and forced into a Countering Magical Energy Field, you lost your form, much like Midna would if she tried to exist in a Light Energy World. However, because you had the Triforce, you simply changed into a Beast rather than a wisp, since it had a different, but ultimately compatible magical source to sustain you. The issue is, the chain was siphoning away the magic which kept you active in the Twilight, so you starved without the flow of magic from the Triforce. Think of yourself as a wolf, which needs meat, in a forest without animals around. There's no food that you can eat except for an ever-refilling basket of pork. The basket is the Triforce, and then someone comes out of the woods and fills their bag with the pork. That's alright, there's plenty, but they take it faster than it refills, and you don't get any pork to eat. That's basically what happened."

Link cocked his head, puzzled. "Alright, so let me get this straight. Hylians, being magic beings, need magic like we need food. The Triforce was my food source in the Twilight, keeping me from becoming a wisp. So when its energy was being taken elsewhere, I starved? This just begs the question, where's the energy taken from Courage?"

Jen went silent, considering the possibilities of that question. She winced.

"I really hope that it just faded. Considering the fact that if even the Triforce couldn't sustain you, they must have been pumping out energy like hell. Best case scenario, we never have to find out."

"How much energy are we talking about?" Link asked. Jen's face scrunched as she tried not to think of a possible number.

"A lot. Just… a lot."

Link was quiet for a moment. Jen took the initiative, pushing Link towards the barn, ignoring his startled yelp.

"Okay, we can think about this later, but for now we have bugs to catch and I don't want to get eaten, so you're up!"

Aside from the worrying question, the morning fell into a rhythm. The Twilight morning was only slightly more illuminated than the nighttime, but between the bug's natural luminescence and their heightened senses, neither one was particularly worried. The complete stillness of the Twilight was more than a little nerve-wracking, and helped set the grim mood Jen slowly found herself sinking in to.

The first bug hid in a stall, where Link couldn't catch it, though when Jen entered behind him, it jumped out to get her. Thus, Link decided that his human-shaped companion could be used as bait. When he brought it up to the other, she was understandably upset.

"Why on earth would I want to do that?" she had shrieked.

"You're small, you can dodge it," Link claimed.

"It's my size."

"And it follows you! The other scenario is that I try to go after them myself… and I'm feeling just a bit peckish…"

She had given him a sharp glare, but relented. "You're an asshole… Fine."

They walked down the hill, where the bug on the hilltop sparked dangerously and hissed at them. Jen made a running dash up the hill and past it, where it stupidly followed her descent right into Link's teeth and claws.

"See? It works!" Link cheered as Jen caught her breath and checked for any bites.

"It almost bit off my leg!" she bit back, still making sure she had all her limbs. Link rolled his eyes but continued good-naturedly.

"But not quite! We still have six to go. Not many more, really!" Jen gave him a hard stare, to which he responded with a strange grin.

"… you're awfully chipper this morning" she muttered. Link's grin widened.

"And you're awfully bitter for someone who slept a full eight hours, but here we are!"

"You know what, I can't argue with that. Where to next?" Jen allowed, looking back around.

"The shop's right over there. Let's check the outside before we go in."

The insect was hiding right above them on the wall, and immediately jumped down to try to eat Jen, as all the ones previously had. She barely dodged with a sharp growl, letting Link chase it down before it could climb back up the wall. The third light in the Vessel signified their victory as they made for the river.

They made it to the small island quickly, and Link quickly dug up the bug where it had hidden itself in the dirt. This one tried to get away. Jen jumped into the river after it – thankfully the water was muck-free, though still chilly – and managed to score her first kill.

"Great! Halfway through!" Link cheered as the fourth pearl lit up. He jumped into the water without any further words, swimming far more quickly than Jen back to shore.

"Just four more to go," Jen agreed as she shook out her layer of fluff. The dust around the riverside stuck to her boots as she trotted after Link, who was certainly going to tire himself out if he didn't slow down.

The bug was too high up in the tree to see them, and only scurried up higher when Link barked impatiently. It must've seen the deaths of its fellows, and was certainly not moving.

"We need to find some way to get it down," Link muttered when he noticed Jen behind him. She nodded in agreement.

"A really big rock?" she offered. A sudden noise behind them caused them to jump.

"Who's there?" Link demanded.

"Up here!" a voice replied. Jen looked up, seeing a hawk perched nearby.

"Who're you?" Jen asked. The hawk ruffled its feathers importantly.

"I'm a hawk."

Jen resisted the urge to repeat the question with a meaner tone.

"Hawk, how can we hear you?" Link asked. Ah, Captain Obvious. The hawk gave a wheezy laugh.

"Listen, you two are animals, and so should understand other animals. I overheard you talking about the bug. Can you get rid of it if I knock it down?"

Link nodded. The hawk seemed pleased.

"Good, good. Now, stand back, please!" it called as it took flight. It circled once and dove straight for the bug. Jen, like an idiot, watched it fall right in front of her. As it chittered in surprise, Jen regained higher thinking, and jumped back as Link bit it in half. The Tear emerged and the fifth segment glowed lightly.

"Glad to be of service. If you need me again, howl at the eaglegrass!" the hawk called down as it gave another cry and circled out of sight.

"… well, that was convenient. We aren't done, though. Three to go, two in your house. Let's go," Jen said, breaking the pause. Link shook himself and followed her as she strode purposefully out of the village. Link trotted after her to catch up. He matched her brisk pace as they passed through the narrow entrance which guarded the main entrance, quickly making their way back up the hill.

Link's treehouse was easy to see even before they got to it, the tree towering tall above the rest of the forest. It was, unfortunately, dead quiet. Jen paused just at the entrance for a moment, letting the large wolf pass by her. Despite the long shadows of Twilight, the tree did not seem all that foreboding. In fact, it seemed welcoming despite the creep factor. The well-worn planks of the house retained just a bit of color, and silent chimes decorated some of the branches.

There was a slight chittering coming from the yellowed grass just below the house. Link paused just in front of the entrance, ears pricked. Jen focused, and the bug came into view just as Link lunged for it, biting it in half and releasing the Tear inside.

"Well, that was lucky," he commented, panting slightly. Jen turned her eyes up to the dark house, just barely catching a glimpse of a purple light before it vanished.

"Sure, but there's still another here. Does your house have a secret entrance or something? I could have gone up the ladder, but I think the Moblins tore it down. Maybe we can go around?" Jen said, pacing slightly. Link looked down at her.

"Hey, Jen, relax," he commanded, "I think I left the window open before I left, so we can get in there. It should be a bit of a jump, but nothing too bad. Follow me." He began walking towards the dark forest path, pausing at the entrance to ensure that the black-limbed girl was following him.

In the darkness of the trees, Jen could barely see ten yards in front of her. She kept close to Link, watching the forest with a wary eye. They passed by the imprints of feet in the dirt marking where Link had killed a Moblin patrol. Jen's anxiety heightened, and she found herself straining her ears for anything. She, above all, wanted to try the magic she had cast, feeling for the instinctual vanish she had managed back on Earth.

A series of dark squeals warned them of approaching danger. Jen body-slammed Link out of the path of a flaming arrow as Moblins, armed with bows and clubs, appeared along the ridge.

"Run!" Jen shouted, spurring Link into movement and following behind him as she had earlier. Arrows whizzed past them as the beasts jumped out of their reach by a hair's breadth. Link, as the obvious target, found himself barely avoiding the projectiles as they thudded into the walls around them. Jen kept close, not risking falling behind. Her leg began to burn again as the scabs likely opened back up, but she kept running. It occurred to her that she should not be able to keep up with a full-grown wolf as they practically flew across the trail.

"Up this way!" he suddenly yelled, swerving up a faint deer trail up the ridge. Jen scrabbled at the loose soil as Link pulled off a tight hairpin turn. Now, they were on even ground with the Moblins, who immediately charged even as the pair did not slow down for a second. Her heart beat loudly in her ears as she willed herself to disappear from their sight. Link attacked the first Moblin that swung at him, knocking it down the ridge. Another Moblin tried to swing at Jennifer, who promptly ducked the blow and head-butted it into the main forest path.

"We don't have time for this, just run!" Jen barked as Link turned to fight the next Moblin. She provided an example by racing past the next three, letting their cries fade behind her as she easily outpaced them. Link growled, but picked up the pace, charging through a cluster of the monsters behind the girl.

"From here, just get back to the house. The branch should be right in front of us," Link shouted above the noise from the protesting Moblins. At their speed, they arrived back at the treehouse quickly.

"Jump!" he yelled as they both took a running leap at the outstretched tree limb. Behind them, the shrill yells of the Moblin band faded behind them. Jen did not land easily, claws scrabbling desperately on the smooth bark of the tree. For a terrifying moment, she felt herself slipping. Just as she couldn't feel the bark underneath her paws, Link snatched her by the scruff of her coat and hauled her up bodily. They both sat there, panting heavily.

An arrow smacked into the tree, startling them back into action. Jen jumped onto the windowsill and pulled Link in behind her just as the Moblins came back into view. Their aggravated cries were slightly muted by the wood, allowing them a moment of rest.

"We should… probably hurry and collect that bug, before they decide to… burn down the house," Jen commented. Link nodded his head in wordless agreement. He looked outside, winced, and jumped down the ladders connecting the two floors. He made barely any noise as he hit the ground, looking around his house. He seemed satisfied that it was in one piece.

"Any ideas where it could be hiding?" Jen asked as she jumped, too.

"I don't think it's on this floor… which means… probably the basement," he replied with a slight groan.

"Dark and creepy, I'm guessing?" Jen ventured. Link nodded, sweeping past her. "Perfect."

Link stood at the opening to a long ladder down.

"I just realized I can't get back up ladders," he muttered ruefully. Jen thought for a second.

"I'm not going down there alone. Can't we just scare it out?" she asked.

"I was thinking bait," he replied. Jen's expression flattened.

"Hey, I can't go down, so we have to get it up. They have wings, don't they?" Link defended.

"Yeah, but I can't kill them on my own! And I won't be able to see at all down there!" Jen retorted, "Besides, how would that make it come up? It's perfectly – AH!"

As she spoke, a sudden skree! caught her attention. Right above them sat by far the largest shadow-bug they had seen. It jumped down at them, legs and wings spread. Jen had no time to dodge, though Link caught it mid-air and bit down with a meaty crunch. The bug screeched one last time, flailed, and died. Jen let out a breath.

"Ah, I think it scratched me," Link complained as he tilted his head in her direction. By the faint light of the Tear, Jen could see a rather nasty laceration down his cheek. She winced.

"Your cheek looks like you pulled a Joker. Don't move it too much until we can get something to close it up," she replied, "As it stands, I don't even trust the water to clean it out."

"What's a Joker?" he asked, "Also I had some medical supplies in the basement, if we need it."

"I thought we established that I wouldn't go down there. Also, the Joker was a villain from a popular work of fiction. He's a scary clown who, in one retelling, cut open his face to give himself a permanent smile," Jen said as she continued to examine the wound, "It might scar, if we don't hurry. Good news is that if we get the Spring back up and running, it's got some healing magic still running which should be enough to clean out that cut." She gave him a strong nod and backed away, "Just another reason to get that last Tear. Let's go, and… let's try to avoid the Moblins if at all possible."

Link made a noise that could have been a laugh if he were human-shaped.

"There's three roads to the Bridge, though they may all be infested."

Jen cursed, "Well, then I guess we should try to move quickly. Let's go."

Before they left the house, Link boosted Jen to see out the window. Fortunately, the Moblins did not decide to set the house on fire, instead opting to sit around and wait for their prey to come out.

"I asked earlier but I'll ask again. Do you happen to have a back door?" Jen asked when Link let her down.

"My house is built in a tree," he reminded her. Jen sighed.

"Then we'll have to rely on speed. The faster we move, the less likely we die. Since we can't get back up the ladders, we're using the front door. You open it when we're ready to move."

Link nodded, backing away as Jen put her hand on the handle.

"You're ready right now? Okay, no time like the present, I guess. Alright, on my mark. One… two… OPEN THE DOOR!"

Jen yanked the door open as suddenly as he could. Jen dashed through the open doorway first, jumping right in the middle of the Moblins as a distraction. While their confused attention was focused on her, Link jumped from behind the door and made a beeline straight for the forest path. Jen followed right at his heels. The Moblins seemed less ready for the attack this time, and wasted their time sounding alarms as the two raced by them.

Jen could feel the beginnings of a stitch in her side, but forced it aside in favor of continuing to maintain her high speed. She barely kept pace with Link.

They got to the bridge rapidly, leaving behind the Moblin unit stationed in that area of the woods. Link caught the bug entirely by surprise, plowing straight into it with enough speed that it couldn't even fight back before he bit into it.

"Go go go go go!" Jen shouted as she noticed Moblins coming back in from the woods. Link turned back around and tackled the first Moblin he saw.

"I thought we agreed not to fight them!" Jen shouted in worry as he bit a new hole in its jugular.

"There's to many to outrun!" he shot back between victims, "Just help!"

Jen hesitated for a moment, then shook herself and slashed the wrist of a Moblin about to fire an ignited arrow into Link's hide. It screamed and turned around to aim at her. Link tackled it from behind with a snarl. Dust flew everywhere as the monster lost the flaming arrow, as well as what looked suspiciously like a bottle of oil, in the scuffle. The shrieks of the other Moblins echoed in their ears as Jen continued to sabotage their attacks and Link dealt the lethal damage.

Still, for every Moblin granted a lovely new hole in their neck, three more seemed to take its place. The air was becoming suffocating thick with dust thrown from the stampeding feet of dozens of the twilit brutes.

What they needed was a guaranteed way to get rid of them en mass.

She paused for one second between jumping off a Moblin's arm and focusing on another archer, barely dodging a club swung at her. It clipped her ribs painfully and sent her to the ground. They really needed a way to get rid of this problem.

A sudden fire arrow next to Jen's ear gave her a morbid solution. She raced between the legs of the combatants, collecting as many flasks of lantern oil she could, throwing them into the faces of the Moblins. They shrieked as the glass cut into their skin when they stamped on them, but each was covered in the flammable liquid.

"Link, back out, I'm setting them on fire!" Jen shouted as she recovered the still-burning embers of the fire arrow. From the corner of her eye, she could see Link jumping out of range of a swing from a Moblin, and decided he was far enough.

The first victim was simply the nearest disk-faced Moblin. Jen flung the arrow in its direction, scattering embers into the folds of its skin. Wherever the embers landed, fingers of flame licked at the fuel and skin. The Moblin panicked, flailing around. Of course, because it was so tightly packed with the rest of the Moblins behind it, it only ignited those closest to it.

The result? Pandemonium.

Jen stayed low to the ground, in a small depression in the ridge wall away from the chaos, as the acrid stink of burning Monster flesh overpowered the already-strong smell of regular monster. As one monster burned, it ignited its neighbors, who in turn lit up those closest to it.

Jen watched this from her hiding spot with a mounting feeling of horror tempered by the knowledge that it was necessary.

"Jen!" Link shouted from somewhere in the fire, "Jennifer!"

"I'm over here!" she shouted back, getting to her feet. Link's form appeared, slightly dusty and battered but thankfully whole.

"What did you do?" he yelled.

"Lit them on fire, that's what! We have to go, it was mostly as a distraction for the main group," she barked, leading him along the side of the embankment.

"Jennifer, you lit them on fire?! In a forest!?" he shot back as he trotted behind her.

"It's mostly dusty and their pack survival instinct should kick in in a few minutes. The fire won't spread too far, especially because the path is so confined. Let's just get your injuries tended to before we worry about anything else," she replied. They were silent, trotting briskly down the forest path. Jen's shoulder and ribs stung but she ignored them.

"Jen, you're bleeding," Link said suddenly, in a softer voice. With a wince, Jennifer began noticing the injuries on her own person. Slight cuts littered her hands from the glass shards, and a blossoming bruise was making itself known along her side. What's more, she was absolutely certain the bite from the day before had opened back up. Between the mad dashes to and from the forest path and the general hunt, the scabs had failed.

She shook her head a bit. It didn't really matter; the end goal was in sight, anyway. She just had to keep going.

"Once we get the the Spring, we can get healed up and restore Light to the area. It doesn't matter right now. Look, we're here."

Sure enough, the entrance to the spring yawned open in front of them. Jen slipped quickly around the corner, Link at her heels. The voice of the spring emanated from the water.

"Chosen ones… Beware … A shadow being… it approaches…"

"What?" Link asked before a single rock slammed into the water in front of him. As he jumped backward into an attack position, snarling, the tall rock glowed with red-purple geometric patterns, humming as it did so. Seven others followed it, creating a barrier of energy.

They had gone and trapped themselves in a Shadow Beast ambush, like a couple of idiots. Jen turned her head skyward. Above them, a portal swirled into view, spitting out four shapes. These hit the ground hard in front of them and unfolded themselves with a growl.

The wolf launched himself at the first one with a growl, biting through its hide until it fell. Jen ducked between the legs of another as it tried to swipe at her, shouting,

"Link, these monsters will revive each other unless you kill all of them at the same time! I don't have the right weaponry to do it, but I can distract them. Hurry!" she shouted as the creature turned to face her. She ducked under the shallow water as it swung at her, causing it to look back and forth in confusion as to where its prey could have gone. She kept close to the filmy surface of the water as she navigated the field.

"Am I missing something?" a familiarly obnoxious voice said from above. Jen sidestepped a swing and turned to look. Midna hovered just above the fight, watching with her hand cradling her face.

Link accidentally killed the third Beast, prompting the fourth to emit an ear-shattering howl. The three that had fallen got back up, ready to fight again. Midna laughed.

"I suppose I could help!" She cheerfully landed right on Link's back. To his credit, though his legs buckled slightly under the sudden weight, he managed to keep his footing enough to dodge a hit aimed at him.

"Just move like I tell you! Bark, and I'll expand an energy field to help you out."

The shadow creatures re-grouped around Link as he barked once, crouching slightly as Midna practically vibrated with power. A dark circle expanded from Link's shadow and engulfed the Shadow Beasts with crackling electricity.

With a sharp series of growls, Link jumped around the fighting ring, biting through their magically-enhanced hides like paper, sending them to the ground. Link landed on all fours as they exploded into shards, opening up a new portal above them. The rocks fell into the water harmlessly and simply dissolved into dust which settled calmly into the spring. The Vessel glowed brighter around Link's neck, and every pearl dropped into the water.

Without fanfare, the black specks hovering in the air simply faded, and the world brightened. Jen blinked in the sunlight.

Midna skipped out of Link's shadow, a shadow again. She leaned back in mid-air with a dismissive expression.

"Hm. What's so good about a world of light, anyway? Oh well, see you soon?" She jumped back and faded into the background.

The whole spring glowed suddenly, causing Link and Jen to blink fiercely as they were nearly blinded. A drop of gold appeared on the surface on the spring. It fell back, and soon the Light of the Spring itself appeared. Jen struggled to get to the shore as the Spirit of the spring rose from the water. She sat on the banks of the purified spring as the Light spirit appeared with a deep cry. Ordona looked as awesome and beautiful as one would expect from a Light Spirit. Brilliant yellows and gold hues colored the goat-like Spirit, and Their horns encircled a ball of light which seemed to spiral endlessly with brightness and magic.

In the presence of such powerful Light, Jen felt once again exposed, though not necessarily in a bad way. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes, which were already watering from staring directly at a being of Light.

"O' chosen ones of the Goddesses… I am one of the four Light Spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I am Ordona…"

The bright golden power the creature emanated was starting to give Jen a bit of a headache, but she was too awed to think of turning away. Link, for his part, listened with rapt attention.

"The black beasts you have slain were shadow beings. They guarded my spring, driving away any who sought to restore the power of Light I wield."

"My brethren across Hyrule have already had their light stolen by these dark beasts… The entire kingdom has been reduced to a netherworld ruled by the cursed powers of darkness…"

Headache was getting stronger, and Jen was starting to see scenes and patters in the Light between Ordona's horns.

"The blight will not stop at Hyrule. Already, it has spread to distant lands. Before long, the entire world of light will fall into the hands of the king who rules the twilight."

Jen wrenched her gaze away from Ordona's horns, focusing instead on the water at Their feet. The headache faded as she breathed heavily.

"To save the world from the king of twilight, the lost light must be recovered. The three other light spirits who lost their light must be revived. There is but one who can revive them and redeem this land… You, Link. You still have not discovered your true power…"

A shot of jealousy coursed through Jen's veins before she stomped down on the rogue emotion. She knew her job, and she definitely wasn't the one wielding the actual Triforce of Courage. She wasn't looking for recognition… she just had to aid Link…

Her wrist hurt again.

"Those transformed by Twilight usually cannot recover their original forms..."

Link felt a bolt of panic. Would he have to remain a wolf forever? Would Jen remain… whatever she was, forever?

"Unless… If you were to return to Faron Woods where you were first transformed… If you were to revive the light spirit… There, by the power of the Light Spirit, you may find the means to return to your other state of being…"

The spirit faded slowly from view, making the Spring seem as dark as night in comparison to the blinding brilliance it had been the moment before. Link stood for a moment, going over the new information in his head. He knew the next steps; it was only a matter of doing it. He could do it. He was the Hero of Legend. That was his… destiny.


	16. Sword and Shield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just realized I should add a tag. I never say "said".

The hour was high, shining down bright noon. The trees rustled in the faint wind. Everything had the makings of a great day. Of course, it was the same sort of "great" as being kidnapped, held prisoner in your own country's capitol castle for weeks, coming home to find your village razed and all your friends scattered to the winds.

The wind brought with it the faint smell of burning meat, likely from the smoldering remains of the Bulblins which fell victim to the fire Jen set only minutes before. The arsonist herself was trailing her fingers through the water and watching the ripples they made, while also trying not to focus on the sensation of her repairing bruises.

Link, on the other hand, seemed more energized than ever and completely ready to get moving to the woods.

"Link, for the last time, sit still! You're bleeding from multiple cuts! I can't believe you tried to fight the whole Bulblin tribe at once!" Jen chastised him as he splashed her slightly with his pacing.

He whined slightly, petulantly settling back onto his haunches. "Who cares about one Bulblin tribe when there could be hundreds of others out there, terrorizing who knows how many people? I have to-"

Jen interrupted him. "Link, for the love of Din, you can't do anything if you're bleeding to death. We'll get moving in another minute, okay?"

Link grumbled something under his breath and continued pacing.

It was almost a relief when Midna showed up.

"You guys are still here? I thought you left!" she said in lieu of a greeting, "Listen, I found these weapons in the town, but I can't carry them. Do me a favor and go fetch them for me?" she finished with a grin. Link's tail wagged and he waded out of the water to the shore, leaving Jen in the water behind him. Midna giggled and dove into the ground. Link jumped, looking for her. Her laugh emanated from his shadow below him.

"Eee hee hee? Did you think I'd disappeared?" Link's shadow lengthened, splitting from underneath him as Midna appeared in front of him.

"Oh yeah, there's another thing I forgot to tell you. Don't think you can run off and save your friends, because you can't. See that bridge there? Just beyond it the Twilight. Last time, a beast must've pulled you through the curtain. But if you want to go back, you'll need the cooperation of someone from that place, like me! So you really have no choice but to do as I say. Whatever you do, well, that all depends on your actions. Because you can never trust words, you know."

Jen gave a long-suffering sigh, fully ready to punch the imp into oblivion, destiny or no. Link's expression was priceless, though.

"Right now, I need a sword and shield, and we can find both in the village. So, what do you plan to do? I hope you aren't just going to sit here and dawdle. The twilight's expanded enough while you were in that prison."

Jen gave the best impression of a deep bark, though it was significantly more intimidating than she expected. Midna jumped slightly, though laughed it off.

"Come on, get moving!" she chuckled as she faded back into Link's shadow. He turned to her expectantly.

"Alright, so I guess we're moving. Let's just get this thing and move on, okay? If you're so hasty to move to the next segment of the journey we might as well use that energy," Jen relented. Link barked happily as he led the way back into the village.

Fortunately, on the way back, there were fewer Bulblins to deal with, and Link easily took them out. Jen supposed his energy might have been the lingering energies of the spring if it weren't for the ferocity with which he dispatched the stragglers from the burned tribe.

Ordon Village was just as wrecked in the Light as it was in the Twilight. Jen winced as she noticed Link pause at her side.

"If you don't want to see this, I can collect them just fine on my own," Jen offered. Link looked at her and shook his head.

"It's fine. Just… drives this nightmare home a bit, I suppose."

Jen could sympathize with that.

"So, where do you think the sword and shield could be?" the creature-girl asked to change the subject.

"I know Rusl wanted me to deliver a sword to her Majesty before… this… so I think the sword is in his house…" He winced, "That's probably going to be easy to get, considering the hole in the wall…"

"Yup," Jen agreed, not really knowing how to respond to that. She let Link trot ahead of her. Sure enough, the house closest to the trail up the hill had a massive hole in it. Jen vaguely remembered it as the pregnant woman's house. The recollection briefly stalled her.

"Wait, I'll go get it. I can pick around the ruins better. I'll be back in a second, you just think about where the shield could be!" she said, her words picking up speed as she jogged past him into the ruins of the house before he could complain. When she turned around, he didn't seem to be following her, which was probably a good thing.

Bad news, Jen couldn't find the pregnant woman, nor the sword. She could smell a faint trail heading directly up the hill, however. Now, to bring it up with Link! Jen felt a shudder run up her back at the thought of what she'd have to do in the next few seconds.

"How's it going in there?" Link's voice called from outside. Jen grimaced. Might as well rip off the Band-Aid.

"Well, I have nothing but bad news, to be honest," she called back as she began crawling out the hole in the wall. She caught Link's grim expression.

"Alright, so the first time I was over here, there was a wisp. I covered her with a curtain to make sure that a Monster didn't see her," Jen started.

"Her?" Link barked, "Was she pregnant?"

"Yyyeessss?" Jen drew out the word. Link's expression darkened severely.

"Where is she?" he demanded. Jen put up her hands in a placating gesture (though the claws probably did not help).

"There's a trail. We need to follow that to find the sword anyway, I think she took it with her. I'm right behind you," she said quickly. Link pushed past her to test the trail for himself.

"It heads up the hill… where could she be going?" he said, mostly to himself.

"Link, we need to find her and the sword she's carrying. Now," she commanded. Link jumped out of the wreck of the house, nose to the ground. Jen jogged up the hill as quickly as she could as Link traced the smell to its source.

Because Link was so focused on the smell, Jen caught sight of the woman first. She was basically waddling, she was so heavy, but nonetheless she was determinately testing each door she came to, calling for the residents to answer until she moved to the next. Jen almost caught her eye as the dark-touched girl pulled Link off the path.

"Hey, what-" he complained before she clapped a hand around his muzzle.

"Who's there? Be warned, I'm armed and I won't hesitate to protect myself!" the lady called in a shaky voice. Jen looked at Link to say shut up she's right there and removed her hand. The two stood stock-still behind the trees as the woman struggled to convince herself that there was nothing to worry about.

"Uli…" Link whined. The woman, Uli, finally continued up the path, sneaking glances around her as she knocked on doors.

"We have to get that sword," Jen reminded the wolf. The boy looked at her aghast.

"She's scared, we have to help her, first!" he argued. Jen made a difficult to describe face.

"Link, I don't know if you noticed, but how are we, a Twilight inhuman-looking monster and an actual three-foot-at-the-shoulder wolf going to help her? Nayru's love, we can't even speak to her!"

Link wasn't to be deterred.

"Still! I know her like my own mom, and she's scared and pregnant. I can't do nothing!" he rebutted. Jen folded her hands in front of her and exhaled.

"Link, she's going to be even more scared if she sees us. But we have to get that sword. Oh, great, now my sympathy's acting up. Look, if we want to help her, we need to get that thing and get rid of the –" A sudden carrying howl interrupted her. The winds changed abruptly, bringing them downwind of her. From the north came the unmistakable stench of…

"Bulblins!" Link shouted as the first head came into view from above the hill's ridge, "They're going to kill her!" He was moving before Jen could stop him, not that she would anyways. She chased after him as he raced past the screaming woman and pounced on the first Bulblin.

"Jesus, that's a lot of them!" Jen commented as another ten followed behind the first. She was already digging her claws into the arm of a Bulblin, causing it to shriek and drop its weapon. It tried to swing at her with its fists but she caught its wild throw and threw it bodily. Another shrill scream from the lady signaled to them that she noticed the Bulblins as well. Jen spared a moment to turn around and make a shooing motion at the woman, who stood paralyzed.

They locked eyes, but the woman nodded and started back down the path to the village. Probably for the best, as Jen turned back around just in time to avoid a blow to her head. She slashed the throat of the offending Bulblin, letting it slump to the dust with a wet gurgle. Link jumped on the chest of an attacker, biting furiously at it until it simply succumbed to its wounds. A tail spin knocked the others flat on their backs, letting him take out yet another. Jen stole one of his kills and stomped on the throat of one of the floored Bulblins until it cracked.

There were now six Bulblins left. She liked to think that the Bulblin squad was now half empty.

These six were more cautious than their late bandmates, coming in slowly with their clubs swinging menacingly. Link immediately snarled and jumped on one of them, who narrowly raised their club in time to catch Link's teeth. The distraction made it easy for Jen to catch another by surprise, digging her claws straight through its chest. It dissolved around her hand as she made ominous eye contact with her next victim and snarled.

Link took down another two Bulblins easily as Jen jumped onto her fourth, dispatching it was an almost lazy flick of her arm. The scuffle sent dust from the road high into the air.

The last two Bulblins looked at each other, then at the pair of fighters, and decided their chances just weren't worth it. The took off running into the forest and were gone.

They stood there panting a moment. Jen took the opportunity to check out some of the stuff they dropped. Just a few rupees each, but there had been a lot of them. She put the currency in her pocket until she could get a bag to hold them in.

"Where's Uli?" Link asked suddenly. Jennifer stopped looking for more rupees, looking around.

"I think she ran back down the hill while we held off the Bulblins," Jen replied, "I'm sure she'll be alright."

"… she took the sword," Link muttered. Ms. Aubrey's difficult to describe face was back.

"Well… this is a very unwelcome development. Link, can you catch her trail again?" she requested.

Jen followed Link back down the hill slowly, keeping an eye out for any more unwelcome developments. Every rustle of the trees caught her attention. Their time in the Twilight had made any sort of background noise seem like a threat. As such, Link was the one to notice something new.

"Hey, I'm catching multiple scents… I… I can recognize them! It's… it's the village, they're okay!" he cried, about to start running down. Jen caught him by the leg and pulled him back with a nearly practiced ease.

"Link. We look like monsters," she reminded him for the umpteenth time that day. Link's excitement faded, replaced by a look that reminded her of a sad puppy. Jen sighed. "But, I suppose some spying isn't out of the question. We do still need to get the sword and shield, anyway," she grumbled reluctantly.

Link sent her an excited tail-wag and grin as they got off the trail. It was still barely past noon, so Jen was on high alert for any amiss sounds. The wildlife seemed to be returning, judging by the steady increase in birdsong. That was probably a good sign.

When they got down to the village's main level, Link's nose proved to be correct. There was a veritable crowd of people clustered near each other in the main square, talking to each other anxiously. Several times, Jen noticed that someone or other would notice an old friend or family member and greet them with a hug and some tears of relief. Link looked excitedly from person to person as they mingled. Jen felt a pang of regret that Link himself couldn't see his friends and family even as he experienced their joy vicariously.

The two sat down in the shade of a tall tree in the yellowing grass just above the town proper and slightly behind the treeline to observe the hubbub. They arrived just before the pregnant woman, and watched as the assembled townsfolk gave a cheer to see the woman alright.

A man stepped onto a treestump, bellowing for the attention of the people assembled. He was large and bald with what looked like… tusks? No, those had to be piercings. Jen couldn't make out more than a few of the loudest words, though Link was listening attentively. She watched the wolf's expression cycle from worried to shocked to relieved and anxious again as the man spoke.

"Link, what's he saying?" Jen asked.

"That's Mayor Bo. He… he's saying that the… the children… the children are missing. Illia and Colin and the others, they're gone!" he whispered, gaining some volume as he spoke, "A lot of the others have been injured, too. Rusl's got an infected scratch, too, which isn't responding to antibiotics or medical treatment. He might die!"

"Don't worry, we'll find the kids. They're probably nearby, anyway, there's no way they could have gotten far. For… uh… Rusl, we'll… um… we can direct them to the healing spring, I'm sure that can probably defeat the wound. It's going to be okay," Jen reassured him, patting his back awkwardly. The grass she was sitting in was beginning to prickle uncomfortably under her back.

Mayor Bo continued to get the town organized and informed, and people were beginning to split into groups to accomplish tasks. The gates into the town were now manned by a squadron of six men armed with whatever they could get from the village, and another group was beginning to make the houses less dangerous.

The one house that wasn't completely wrecked was the blue-tiled wheelhouse. They watched as two men carried a pale figure in through the door. Uli followed close behind, still clutching the sword. A moment later, the two men exited, passing right underneath them. Link caught snippets of their conversation, including the words "dying" and "poor wife".

"… Link, how do we get into that house?" Jen asked.

Link sent her a glare. "We shouldn't scare her like that while she's taking care of Rusl! Besides, we'd have to sneak around the whole village to get in. We should just wait until she puts it down somewhere and grab it then."

"Link, it's a sword. She'd pass it to someone else who can use it before then," Jen pointed out, "Besides, I don't think she'd look so nervous if she weren't alone. She knows us, we just saved her life! If not now, then when else?"

Link looked conflicted, looking between the house and the men. He took a deep breath, and then out again. Jen, noticing his hesitation, pressed on. "Link, we can bring some healing spring water with us, as a trade. Then we can ask Uli to bring us the shield, so we don't have to go looking for it. That way, Rusl can heal and we can move on. It's probably the best idea we have."

Link looked up with a new steel in his eyes. "Yeah, that's probably the best way to go. Do you have any way to hold the springwater?"

Jen nodded, rifling around her jacket pockets until she came up with a water bottle, still half-full. She crammed the protein bar wrapper back into her pocket as it re-appeared. "This'll hold enough to heal whatever he's got. It's got some water in it, do you need any?"

After a quick water break, they took the long way around the village, crossing into the forest back to the path to the spring. The grass was long and yellow, nearly dead from a lack of water and sunlight, but the trees provided more than enough shelter for them to move unnoticed. Better, there also seemed to be no more Bulblins in the area. They both moved at a brisk pace, Link leading as normal with a determined gleam in his eyes.

They arrived back to the spring within fifteen minutes, filled the water bottle and healed any scrapes in two, and were back on track.

"I know a route behind my house which leads parallel to the normal forest path. We should take that," Link said as he crossed up the ridge into the woods again, narrowly missing a patrol of four men armed to the teeth. The forest was darker, and they moved slower than before. They still got back to the village in good time.

"Alright, so Jaggle's house, the waterwheel one, is most easily entered through his front door, but obviously we don't have that luxury. So, uh, do you have any ideas, Jen?" Link asked as they crouched just above the main entrance to the village.

Jen frowned and plucked out some of the yellowing grass absently. "I could climb up the waterwheel into that topmost window, probably," she mused, "Of course, I'd probably get seen instantly if I tried."

Link grimaced. "I once went under the wheel because I tried to swim onto it. I really wouldn't try it if I were you." He shuffled a bit, almost embarrassed, then continued, "I also once tried to jump onto the wheel's inner joint, see where it protrudes? I got dared to jump from the eaglerock onto the cog. I missed, of course. I nearly broke my legs, got a scar on my eyebrow from the incident. We could try that, since we're probably much stronger as beasts."

Jen laughed loudly, muffling herself when she realized it would attract attention. Her shoulders shook as she calmed down. "Sorry, sorry, it's just that… was this before or after you went under?"

Link shrugged, tongue lolling amicably. "Jangle's wife baked a lot back then, and we had an unusual amount of pumpkins that year, so I'd try to-"

"This was the same season? Link, you goof!" Jen crowed as she kept laughing, "Risking it all for some pumpkin cookies!"

"Hey, she made pumpkin rolls, too!" he joked as he started laughing, too. They got their breath back after a few seconds. Link kept staring at her.

"What?" Jen asked self-consciously. Link cocked his head slightly.

"I think there's a bit of black growing across your face. Probably a trick of the light," he replied. He shrugged slightly, "I guess the plan is to get into the attic window? The glass broke a while ago and Jaggle never got around to fixing it, so we should be fine. It's the jump that worries me."

"Well, imagine you're after those rolls again. Call up Midna for someone to focus on, I might need help, too," Jen said as she stood up, "I think we can travel across the rooftops, then get to those rocks. From there, we can get into the house. Ready?"

"Probably not. Alright, I'm calling Midna," he said as he stood up and stretched, looking at his shadow expectantly, "Uh… Hey?"

His shadow lengthened across a tree, re-shaping itself to the imp. Her eye opened.

"You guys getting the sword soon? The lady's in the house across the town, if you haven't noticed," she said rudely, pointing her thumb in the blue-shingled house's direction. Link pantomimed the act of jumping across the roof. Midna's grin appeared in understanding.

"Ah, got it. You coming with, Yarie?"

Jen nodded. Midna looked delighted.

"Excellent. Just move quickly. Who knows who might be watching?" she said ominously as she zipped to the closest rooftop. Jen and Link shared a glance as Link took the initiative, jumping quickly across the roof and to the next section on the house. Jen focused on where he had been, following suit with speed and grace she had practiced for years. They kept close to the middle roof as they crept around the spiral, moving delicately as the roof creaked ominously. Link kept an eye on the mob of people below them, which had thinned as people began minding their jobs but still had about a dozen people talking seriously with the mayor.

Link easily made it across the rocks, Jen taking care to keep low with her noticeable height. When he came to the end of the second boulder with the eagle-grass, Link paused. Jen jumped alongside him and noticed his hesitation.

"Think of the rolls, Link," she whispered encouragingly. Link bit back a laugh as Midna beckoned for him to jump. He moved as quickly as he could, getting off the moving log and onto the roof with grace. Jen found it easier to just climb up to the platform up the immobile water wheel. Link watched her with anxiety as she scaled the wooden construct.

"Good job, now let's get that sword and heal that guy you know!" Jen cheered quietly as she finally got to the platform. Link ducked into the open window, falling for a few feet before catching himself. He jumped down into the main room from the attic, Jen following close behind. They seemed to be on a landing above the main floor with a rug and a few bags of something probably like flour. Despite its size, the wheelhouse was a one-room building like the rest of the town with higher or lower levels. Fortunately for them, there were only three people in the house, and one of them was leaving. The other two were the injured man, Rusl, and Uli.

Rusl was laid on a bench just below another level of the house, where Jen immediately spotted a shield. She was about to show Link when she noticed he was staring at the man's body. The poor guy was pale as death. Sweat made his straw-blond hair cling to his forehead even as the pregnant woman dutifully set a cold cloth on it. Uli herself looked barely any better. Her eyes were red and raw, contrasting with a pale face and delicate features. The sword was on the table nearby.

"Give me the spring water," Link commanded, "You can get the sword and shield but I need to be there for her."

Jen nodded, passing him the heavy metal bottle. It barely fit in his mouth, and Jen ended up giving him the loop to hold in his mouth instead.

"I'll stick around by the window near the shield and give you a warning if anyone's coming inside," Jen said before she let him jump down, "And remember, he will be alright. I can leave a written message if he needs more help."

Link caught her gaze. He hesitantly wagged his tail, jumping down to the main floor.

Uli gasped in shock, backing up a few steps, before recognizing the wolf.

"You… I remember you. Back on the hillside, you saved me. What are you doing here?" she asked. Link, being a wolf could not reply. Instead, he set down the water bottle on the table as best he could. The water bottle promptly fell onto its side and rolled onto the floor.

Jen almost laughed watching Link's and Uli's confused expressions. The wolf picked it up again and gave it to Uli's hand instead.

"What's this?" she asked as she unscrewed it, "Water? Is it a healing gift?"

Link motioned to Rusl and his wounds as confirmation. Uli quickly had Rusl drink some of the water, soaking the rest onto a rag which she used to clean the man's wound again. While she was distracted, Jen quietly dropped from the upper floor and put the sword around her shoulders before running up the wall and grabbing the ledge to the next floor. She successfully climbed up the wall just as Uli gave a surprised gasp.

"It works! Hi-his wound is closing!" she turned to Link, "Thank you!"

Link's ears perked up happily, checking for himself that Rusl would be alright. His breathing seemed to have evened out, now sleeping rather than in a delirious unconsciousness. A sudden sob from Uli startled him. The woman noticed Link's worried attention and apologized wetly.

"I was… I was so scared h-he wouldn't… that he would… I-I didn't want my baby to g-grow up without a f-father… Thank you so much," she sobbed. Link whined in sympathy, gently nudging Uli's hip. Jen worked on getting the shield off its pegs so she wouldn't cry as well.

"I… I don't know how to repay you… You saved my husband's life…" Uli said as her sobs diminished. Link nodded to where the sword was missing from the table.

Uli wiped her tears away with a slight chuckle. "I forgot about your companion, then?" If you have need of the sword, you can take it. My husband can always make another once he's recovered. It's nothing compared to the gift you just gave me," she looked out the window at the afternoon sky. "I would tell you to be safe out there, but it seems you both can handle yourselves pretty well in a fight. Goddesses watch over you both. Thank you." She went back to taking care of her husband, gently wiping off the last of the blood from his side.

Link seemed satisfied, climbing onto the table and watching Jen as he leapt. Midna jumped out of Link's shadow.

"It looks… kind of cheap…" she muttered. Jen managed to bite back a growl but Link wasn't so restrained. Midna laughed, "Well, we've gotten the sword and shield. You can be kind of useful when you concentrate! So, no more detours. Get across that bridge to the woods!"

She jumped back into Link's shadow as soon as she finished. The two paused.

"Is he alright?" Jen asked. Link nodded and she let out a breath.

"Sometimes magical water has a time limit to how long it retains its powers after its separated from the source. Good news we hurried, huh?" she replied. Link nodded again as he climbed out the window.

He managed to jump far enough to land in the water, not on the hard dirt. The sudden splash announced his location to two men nearby, who both turned around to see what was causing the noise.

Jen followed just behind him fast enough to drag him out of sight in an air pocket under the dock. Jen held absolutely still as they argued about the likelihood of the noise being the fish. Link's ears flicked in her face as they finally left.

"That was way too close," Jen muttered as they swam as quietly as they could to the opposite shore. Link scrambled out of the water ungracefully, waiting until Jen exited as well to shake out his pelt playfully. Jen laughed as she shielded herself from the spray.

"MONSTERS!" came a sudden shout. Jen whipped around to see the tattle-tale, a rather short man with swarthy skin and straight hair with quite the set of lungs.

"MONSTERS IN THE VILLAGE!" he shouted again, pointing.

"Gotta bounce!" Jen yelled as they raced the few yards to the village entrance, letting the shouts vanish behind the bend. Once they got to Link's house, they slowed down.

"Alright, to Faron Woods, then?" Jen asked as she took a quick glance behind her to confirm they didn't have a mob on their tail.

"Ordona said so, yeah," Link agreed. As they trotted down the path, Link tilted his head at her. "I wonder what you really look like?"

Jen snorted. "How do you know I don't look like this?" she asked. Link looked at her wide-eyed and Jen howled with laughter. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You'll see in a bit, I guess. It's hard to describe what you see in the mirror to someone else."

The jog to the bridge didn't take all that long. The Bulblins had been dealt with, and only left a few singed ashes for them to pass through. Link made a face as he passed by a large scrap of scorched clothes. True to Jen's prediction, woods themselves didn't seem all that damaged.

They slowed down for the bridge, passing over it more carefully. The curtain of twilight loomed high in front of them, doing a great job of tempering their moods. Link cautiously sniffed the air. Twilight certainly had its own identifiable smell. Something primal in Link urged him to leave, and he was inclined to follow that instinct. As they got closer, the world got alarmingly darker, until the only light came from the yellow glow of the curtain. They came to a stop in front of it.

Midna appeared, hovering just high enough to be able to look down at both of them.

"The forest you know, well it's been covered by Twilight. Be very careful in there, it's not the same place you remember. You might not even be able to go back. Are you sure you want to go in there?"

"I don't know if she's being sincere or if she's going to get mad if we don't accept," Jen muttered to Link.

"She'll probably pull us through either way, might as well… might as well just go now and get it over with," Link agreed. Jen caught the worry in his voice.

"Link, are you okay?" she asked. Link just shrugged with a faint grimace.

"Last time was… it wasn't so great," he allowed. Jen gave Link an understanding glance.

"So you're not scared of the Twilight, just of the transition into Twilight?" she surmised.

"Have you maid your choice?" Midna interrupted. Jen pressed her finger to her lips and sent her a glare.

"Yeah, I guess. Look, it's nothing. I'll get over it," he sighed.

"No, it's not nothing. It was a traumatic experience and you're worried that it'll happen again," she reassured him, "I can go first, if you want."

"That would be nice," he mumbled.

"Are we going or not?" Midna drawled. Jennifer rolled her eyes but stepped up first.

"Good, let's get going." The Twilian princess turned and floated through the twilight like it were water. As they watched the veil ripple, Jen turned around and gave Link a thumbs up. Midna grabbed her around the waist as she did the gesture, yanking her sharply through the veil.

The other side of the forest looked a lot like Ordon, save for the floating dark particulates and the yellowish haze. Midna dropped Jen heavily onto her feet as she turned to collect Link. Jen could see Faron Spring just down the trail, but as the area was just as open as Ordon's, there was likely to be a trap.

"Hm. So are these the weapons you use in your world?" came Midna's voice. Jen turned around. Link trotted next to Jen with Midna on his back. Jen choked down a giggle as she watched Midna, the shield on her face, swing around the sword blindly. Link glared as Midna managed to shave a chunk of his mane.

"You really think this thing can slay the creatures of Twilight?" she asked rhetorically as Link growled. A sudden case of shield-on-his-face stopped the growls as Midna sat on his back almost petulantly.

"Well, I won't use these, but perhaps they can be of some use to you," she said, gesturing to Jen. The former human tried to pick up the sword, but realized her claws made it too difficult to hold properly. Jen only shrugged and put it back down. Midna frowned.

"Then I guess I'll hold on to them for you," she amended as she snapped her fingers and they vanished into familiar black and green chunks.

"Alright, a promise is a promise. I trust you two enough to help," she declared, though drew in close to the two of them as she lowered her voice, "In exchange for that help, though, I need you to gather some things for me. Look, I can't really tell you the details, but it'll be easy, trust me."

Jen had a feeling that whatever she wanted would be the opposite of easy to collect. A sudden noise paused the group. Midna chuckled a bit and continued.

"But enough about that. Do you hear that noise? It's the lamentation of the spirit that has had its light stolen. Good to know that it's still kicking! But where in the world could it be? Better hurry up and find it. Don't blame me for your world's fate if you don't!"

When they didn't move, Midna chuckled and waved her hand. "Come on! Snap to it!"


	17. Faron's Woods, or Why I Wanted An OC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Train is Out Of The Station

At Midna's command, they both began down the path, immediately notifying some Shadow Bulblins pacing the path. Link easily took down three of them, Jen killing the fourth with a clean jab through the stomach. The trail opened from a narrow space to a clearing with a large trampled area in the middle.

"Well… this is suspicious," Jen commented, "Let's stick close. I'd rather not have either of us get caught."

"What's suspicious?" Link asked as he slowed his pace. Jen gestured broadly.

"No monsters, lots of space. It's pretty clearly an ambush point for the shadow beasts. We're probably going to have to fight more at the spring, too."

Link looked around as if he expected monsters to come out of the grass. "Can't we just avoid it?"

"People use this path, so I'd rather be rid of it, really. But yeah, we probably could," Jen replied, "Also, your ability to fight multiple of them at once is something most people don't have. In addition to that, it opens a portal Midna can use. The reason we went to the Spring was mostly because it's so easy to open a portal there, with the magical energies and such. So yeah, let's just get this over with."

They walked willingly into the trap. Link still jumped in surprise when the stone barriers hit the ground and ignited. It encased them in a much larger area than the spring did, which was good for them. Plenty of room to dodge. Jen watched as the malicious portal opened up above them, spitting out four Beasts. They hit the ground and got to their feet as points of the compass, aggressively swaying on their limbs as they closed in.

"Aw, we're penned in again!" Midna pouted mockingly, "Pfft! Who do they think they're dealing with? No need to take these pests one at a time, just call on me when you're ready!"

"Alright, Link, get Midna to start that energy cage. They're trying to trap us," Jen barked as she herself remained in the circle. With a sharp bark, Midna's magic encircled the four of them in electric magic.

"Jen, duck!" Link shouted as one monster tried to take her head off. It was close enough that Jen felt the breeze of its claw pass her. She took advantage of the off-balance strike to bring her claws into its oily hide, raking deep cuts into its underbelly. As it fell with a cry, Link activated the magic and launched himself at the remaining three. They fell to the ground quickly. All four dissolved as one, re-forming the portal above them.

"See? That wasn't too hard! Let's keep going!" Midna cackled. Link rolled his eyes but kept trotting down the path. Jen went in front of him, clearing out a few archer Bulblins while he took care of the grunts. They only paused when a black and purple plant rose up from the ground and snapped at Jen while she was distracted.

"Deku Baba! Shadow Deku baba! ... Shadow baba!" Jen shouted as she backpedaled. The plant bobbed menacingly in the air, suspended by its stem as it snarled and bit at the air.

"We don't get those in Ordon. I've dealt with them before, though. They aren't too difficult to defeat, why are you so scared?" Link asked. Jen shuddered.

"It's in my face, okay? And I don't like them!" Jen retorted defensively. Link laughed.

"I'll get it. It's just the Twilight version, anyway," he said as he calmly approached it. The Baba jumped at him, though he simple side-stepped and bit through its stem before it could recover. It died as the rest of the Twilight monsters did, with an anticlimactic poof and a shower of dark chunks.

"God, I hate those things," Jen whispered to herself as she moved on.

They reached the spring about an hour later, after wading through another few bands of Moblins. Fortunately, no other Baba had spawned on the path.

The remnants of the Spirit hovered just above their spring as a ball of hazy gold-yellow light. Link and Jen walked through the water.

"…Please… be careful… these woods have changed…" the spirit said in a voice barely above a whisper, "The dark clouds of dusk cover this land… this drape of shadows is called Twilight."

"In this Twilight, those who live in the light… become as mere spirits... It is a place… where the dark ones and evil creatures dwell…" it continued.

"…Blue-eyed beast…Look for my light… retrieve the light stolen by the dark beasts… and keep it… in this vessel" it managed. From the waters of the spring came the Vessel of Light… again. This time around, there seemed to be twelve pearls. Jen inwardly groaned, both at the blatant disregard of the fact that she was right there, and the added work.

"In the shadows of Twilight… the dark insects are as… invisible … as normal beings here…"

Amazing, and they already knew this.

"Let me use the last of my power … to reveal the locations of the dark insects … that consumed the light…"

And so they appeared on the map, which glowed for a moment in Jen's pocket before fading. Just like last time.

"Find… the insects of darkness… They are the form taken by evil… once it has latched on to… our scattered light…" The voice trailed off into nothing. Jen sighed and stretched. By her approximations, they would have about four hours to finish the task before dark, and their circadian rhythms, set in. She made a hard switch into Mission Mode, talking out loud to organize herself and Link.

"Alright, Link, let's get to work reviving the spirit. Your senses are stronger than mine, so I'll act as a guard as you hunt the things down. Since we're closer to sources of water and magic, we're probably going to be getting more Baba. Here, we have a pretty clear path to follow. Uh… I think there's two right up that path, there. Link, you coming?"

Link, who had been watching the remains of the light spirit, reluctantly turned around and trotted after her.

"Don't worry. Ordona was alright; Faron will be, too. Let's just get this over with quickly, okay?" she urged gently. Link shook himself and barked in agreement.

"Okay. Senses on, there's two on that trail there. I'll take out anything visible to the normal eye. Here's to getting rid of this crap!" Jen cheered as she began walking confidently in the direction of the first bugs.

"To teamwork!" Link corrected with similar enthusiasm, following at her side. It took only a single second of walking to find the first obstacle. A Deku Baba appeared in the middle of the path right in front of Link. Just as Link avoided its bite, Jen instinctually grabbed it as one would a venomous snake; just behind the head.

"Uh!?" she gasped as she realized she'd grabbed it. It writhed and snapped in her grip.

"Slash it!" Link shouted as he backed out of its reach. Jen pulled it taunt with one arm and slashed through the stem with the other. It withered in her grasp. Jen pulled a face and wiped her hand on her pants leg.

"Never doing that again. Ever," she vowed.

"Yeah, you should just drop it next time. That was pretty cool, though. It's going to be a great story to tell!" Link quipped.

"I know a recording spell, actually. We could re-watch this whole thing if I can get it right…" Jen mused. Link turned around with an excited gleam in his eye.

"How does it work?" he asked quickly.

Jen thought for a moment. "Well, last time I used it, it was mostly for training purposes… I think I could bind it to an object? Then we'd have to carry it everywhere, though… And then there's the whole magical drain associated with it…" she said slowly, "But I do have my phone in my back pocket, and that has a camera on it. I don't want to waste the battery."

"You have a pictogram? We should take a photo of ourselves sometime!" Link exclaimed.

"Yeah, probably. Anyway, eyes to the ground, let's keep moving. The map says we're coming up to the two bugs," Jen reminded him as she started walking again.

Not a minute after, Link jumped forward with a deep growl at a point in space, biting down seemingly on air. Jen quickly activated her own senses to dodge a flying leap from behind. She let Link finish off the first and kept an eye on the second one until he was ready for it. With another jump, the first one burst into blue light, and Link spun around to attack the other. Having collected two Tears, they moved on.

Milliseconds later, they encountered a pair of Shadow Babas. Jen took on the first one, punching its head into the ground as it lunged at her and crushing its head under her foot. Link tackled the head of his then bit through the stem. Both dissolved at the same time.

"Well, I see we're getting better at this," Jen mentioned, "Next bug is about fifty yards up the hill, by the entrance to some sort of cavern system. We should be there in a few minutes. In the meantime, let's just keep our guard up."

They kept walking, defeating several more Shadow Baba along the way. Jen's dislike of the monsters had not lessened in the slightest, though she was getting better about getting rid of them quickly and without much fuss. Link managed to devise a way to head-butt them to stun the creatures, then attack, thus lessening his risk of being bitten. This came after a bit of trial-and-error.

"There it is!" shouted Link when he finally spotted the shadow bug, which immediately ducked behind the wrecked remains of a gate. Link incautiously jumped over the wreckage to get across, killing the bug easily. Jen checked the map as Link dug himself back under.

"So that was a third bug… I think there's one… uh… I think over there? Yeah, that's a path. Link, we're going left!" she said as she began walking, eyes still on the map. Link shook out his fur, letting Midna settle onto his back again, and trotted after her.

The path quickly opened up into a clearing with a house to the left. The Moblins had left it mostly alone, and according to the map there were two bugs either near or inside. Judging by the ramp and jump-up point, it was probably inside.

"Hm… Looks like we can get in here!" Midna decided, steering Link up the ramp to the open window. While Link took care of the bugs inside, Jen tested the door. It was locked, and likely boarded up. She shrugged and settled down to wait for the pair to come back. The map showed that it was likely that the next bugs would be through the tunnel, which was something she was not looking forward to.

Two sharp barks and a pause later, Link hopped out of the window.

"Still in one piece? Great!" Jen verified as he trotted up to her, "I think the next stop is through the tunnel. There's only six more to go, anyways. Then… Eh, I guess we're going to go dungeon-crawling tomorrow. Oh! Also we get to introduce ourselves as human-shaped people. We should get going more quickly."

Link tolerated Jen's excited babble amicably, letting her vent her enthusiasm and emotion. Link dug himself back under the fence while Jen just walked the splinters. Despite how uncomfortable her shoes were getting, they still served the purpose of protecting her feet.

Unexpectedly, the tunnel seemed to be lit with hazy yellow flames. To Jen, it was fairly claustrophobic, as her head came up 2/3rds of the way to the ceiling. They kept a careful ear out, listening to the squeaks and chatter of the cavern system in case any monsters came at them. Immediately after the first light, a bat dove at them with a screech. Jen ducked under its attack and grabbed it out of the air, crushing it.

Three other bats, warned by the dying cry of the first, came down the cavern, crying for blood. Link took out another by jumping into the air and biting down, and Jen slammed the second into a wall as the first got tangled in her jacket as she used it as a net. She threw the bulky material to the ground and stomped on the wiggling mass until it went still. She tied the jacket back around her waist, shaking it slightly to get rid of the particulates.

"Let's just avoid the next few monsters, okay?" Link said as the last of the bat's remains tumbled out of the sleeves and dissolved. Jen shrugged.

"I'm sure we got rid of the last of the bats, anyway," she acknowledged, "Shadow Baba should be easy to dodge."

They trotted past the remaining enemies in the cavern, which did, in fact, turn out to be primarily Baba. A spider the size of a desk caused them to pick up speed as it gave chase, though stopped as they exited the caves.

"I hate spiders so, so much," Jen wheezed as she tried to calm her racing heart. Link barked in either agreement or amusement as he investigated another insect, this one on the wall. He barked at it a few times, which only caused it to skitter higher up.

"I'll get it," Jen offered. She began wrapping her jacket around her arm, "I'll bring it down. Used to do this with flies on the window. Just get- GAH!"

The sudden shriek came from the fact that the bug suddenly turned red and began sparking, flying aggressively at her. The monster-girl was caught completely by surprise and continued to shriek madly as it chased her. Link managed to tackle it as it dove down, right as it de-charged, releasing the tear.

"Christ!" Jen swore, "Amazing, they got even worse! I want a refund, can I speak to life's manager? These lemons are too sour to make lemonade."

Link didn't bother to try to find an explanation for the statement. Instead, he looked at the mass of purple mist covering the forest floor.

"Yikes," Jen commented absently.

"There's places we can jump around. Up to do something extremely dangerous?" Link asked as Midna realized they could use a protruding stick to get across and floated in front of it. Jen made a noise halfway between a sigh, groan, and cackle.

"Think of the pumpkin cookies!" Link urged. He jumped onto the branch, and onto a stable tree root.

"Hey! That was my joke! It was copyrighted! I'm getting over there so I can sue you!" she laughed as she made the same jump, following Link closely behind. They arrived on a rock ledge and ran up to the precipice, continuing the world's most dangerous parkour. Link paused to catch an insect, then the other, bringing the countdown to three more.

"Alright, let's keep going!" Link urged after they both caught their breath. The Deku Baba which lunged at them as they passed was quickly taken out by Jen, who made an astounding leap onto its head as she passed, crushing it under her weight.

Because Jen couldn't jump quite as high as Link, she chose instead to scale the tree with her claws and natural strength. It took a bit longer, but she made it up just the same. The Deku Baba trio they encountered after the climb up the trees was not appreciated.

"Link, you go on ahead. Get Midna to come back for me. We need to stagger our approach," Jen advised. Link nodded and began the jump, narrowly avoiding their teeth.

Alright, Jen, you can do this she thought to herself as she psyched herself up for the jump. Moments later, Midna re-appeared. Jen took a series of running leaps, barely dodged a Deku bite on the last branch, and landed heavily next to Link. The swinging log thing was easy for Jen to pass, using it as a boost to her jump.

One more set of hops down, and Jen rolled to her feet on solid ground. She jumped to her feet excitedly.

"Hell yeah! That was awesome! I'm actually looking forward to doing the return trip, holy moly!" she cheered. Two burrowing shapes suddenly caught her attention. Link's keener senses detected trace amounts of the bug's energy.

"Oh, so they can dig, now?" Jen asked rhetorically. Link began chasing after them to dig them up, quickly unearthing the hideous insects. Jen caught one in her jacket as is scrabbled away, crushing it under her boot like the bat. Link bit the other in half, bringing their number down to two more bugs.

"Tunnel time!" Jen cheered, going first. Thankfully, it wasn't too large, and no monsters inhabited it. However, it opened to a large clearing. With several Shadow beasts in plain sight. One of them looked a bit different from the others, larger, fluffier, and with a white mask.

"Oh, here's the next trap. Link, you know the drill by now. Let's kill these things quickly," Jen said as she crept forward. The moment they both entered the clearing, they were penned in by the barrier. The white thing turned around slowly, emitting a deafening roar.

"Jesus, that thing's huge. Link, we need to take that out first. I'll distract the other four!" Jen hollered as the others scurried forward. Link charged through the ranks of the dark beasts to face the white one, barking to bring its attention to him. As Jen growled at the four monsters he left behind, she saw several bursts of Midna's magic. Link accidentally caught a normal Shadow Monster, leaving Jen only three to face down.

Running low to the ground, Jen teased the creatures further from the hulking white monster so that Link could better focus on it. As she ducked under a swing from one, she raked her claws down its chest to ensure its attention would remain on her.

Link dodged another earth-shaking blow from the creature's gorilla-like arms, ducking onto its chest and biting at the sensitive flesh around large stone wedged there. With a wail, the beast thrashed until Link was dislodged, still gripping the stone in his mouth. The creature fell to the ground, bleeding out. Link caught Jen's attention and barked around the rock.

"You done? I'll take that rock off your hands, you got the rest!" she called. She skillfully climbed up the face of the closest monster, letting another beast attack it as she slid down its back. She fell into a roll and sprang up just in time to take the rock. Link gratefully spat it into her outstretched palm, rolled his tongue a bit in distaste, and charged the clustered beasts. They died seconds later as Midna's energy crackled around each of them.

As each burst into flakes of energy, Jen cackled in triumph.

"Hells yeah! Woo, that was – is that a bridge?" she cut herself off as she noticed a scrap of wood hidden under layers of foliage, "What?"

Link looked, realizing that yes, that was a bridge. "Huh. Waddya know. That's… wow. They really moved a whole bridge into the middle of the woods."

Jen quirked her eyebrow and began fiddling with the intricate rock. "Was that what the beasts were guarding?"

"Probably. Well, we'll return it sometime soon. Two bugs left, right?" Link replied, changing the subject. Jen shook herself, pocketing the pure white stone.

"Two, yes. And… ah, just at the tree. I think that's the forest temple, anyway, so we're probably making a return trip there sometime," she mentioned off-handedly. Link rolled his eyes.

"That's for Tomorrow Link to worry about. Today Link just wants to get into his bed as soon as possible. I have a guest bed if you need someplace, but I'm sure anyone in the village would be happy to offer housing. Hospitality for strangers has always been a major part of Ordon. Once, a trading band got lost and we spent literally three days feasting because they brought spices, which were immediately eaten in the three-day feast," he replied casually as they walked up the path, ignoring the trading post. Jen laughed as the path turned from stone to wood.

The spirit of a monkey (ah, so animals turned to wisps as well) stood cowering at the top of the path, standing on a piece of wood that was circled by two bugs. Jen barely paid any attention to the primate as Link jumped at the bugs. Jen managed to use her trusty jacket-net technique to keep the bugs from escaping down the path, keeping them trapped with Link. As they released their Tears and the vessel began to glow, Link heard the thing sigh in relief and tuned in as it talked to itself.

"Boy, lucky for me… Ever since the boss went funny in the head, there've been scary monsters everywhere..." it said.

"Link, anything interesting?" Jen called as she realized he was still standing in front of the monkey. He shushed her, listening more intently to its words.

"Those village kids got led through the woods for some reason… The whole forest is so weird now, what's happened?" The monkey shrugged to itself, and began repeating the whole phrase again. Link was quiet.

"We have a lead on the missing kids! That's great!" Jen cheered for him when he didn't move, "We'll clear out the Twilight now and maybe actually talk to someone?" she strongly hinted. Link nodded and broke into a grin.

"I still haven't got a solid answer on what you look like. Does your planet have extra eyes? Oh! Do you have fins? I mean, you've got them now, anyway," he joked. Jen grabbed her ears, testing for any sign of webbing. Link barked a laugh.

"Kidding! Actually you might be getting a bit darker around your face, but that'll probably clear up. Also, how many fingers do you have?"

.

.

The way back was easier, probably due to the fact that they knew where they were going. The Tears glowed brighter as they got back to the spring, dropping off Link's neck quickly into the water. Again, the area transitioned quickly back into Light, a shiver of magic dispelling the darkness.

Jen and Link felt that magic seep into their bones, dispelling some weight right behind their hearts. Jen stretched, feeling her spine pop back into its proper lack-of-a-curve and tested that her nails were blunt again. Her joints crackled in protest but settled back into their proper positions. Her body ached again, like she had just dislocated everything at once, but she felt overall better.

The spring glowed, signifying the presence of Faron. As the Light rose from the water, Jen had the presence of mind to closer her eyes. The monkey-like spirit appeared with a faint whistling cry, so bright that its image burned through her eyelids.

"My name is Faron," the spirit said in a light rumble, "I am one of the spirits of light who dwell in Hyrule. By the order of the gods, I protect this forest."

Jen couldn't feel her bag, so she was unlikely to find her sunglasses. She'd have to think ahead for this next time.

"O brave youth… in the land covered in twilight where people roam as spirits, you were transformed into a blue-eyed beast. That was a sign… It was a sign that the power of the chosen one dwells within you… and that they are awakening," the spirit continued, "Look at your awakened form." It commanded.

Jen managed to spare a glance at the ex-wolf next to her by shading her eyes with one hand. The Hero wore a green tunic and hat with a chain-mail shirt and white undershirt underneath, beige leggings with leather boots, brown fingerless gloves with blue bracers and a forearm guard on his left arm. On his back was strung the Ordon sword and shield. However, though he looked like a hero, judging by his incredulous expression this was likely the biggest hint Link had been given as to his destiny.

"The green tunic that is your garb once belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods… his power is yours. His is the true power that slept within you," the spirit declared. Link stopped looking at himself like a dog chasing its tail and watched the spirit again.

"Your name is Link," Faron stated, "You are the hero chosen by the gods. Brave Link, a dark power rests in the temple deep within these woods. It is a forbidden power. Long, long ago, I and the other spirits locked it away. Because of its nature, it was a power that should never be touched by any of those who dwell in the light. But this world weeps beneath a mantle of shadows, and so there is no choice… you must match the power of the king of shadows. If you would seek this forbidden power, then proceed to the temple in the forest depths."

Through her fingers, Jen saw the spirit turn to her. She winced as the light of its eyes focused through her improvised screen.

"You, from a far away land, are chosen by the goddesses' acolytes to restore Light alongside Farore's champion. Take up your weapon, forged from your very spirit, and stand alongside the Hero. The trials you face are too great to go alone. You receive my blessing, and may the gods stand beside you." With that final statement, it burst into sparks of light with a shrill noise.

"Ow, my eyeballs," Jen complained as soon as it was gone. Sparks danced in front of her eyes as she blinked, "I think I've gone partially blind. Link, how are you not affected?"

She could practically hear the shrug. Groaning aloud, she managed to banish the worst of the lights, and got herself onto shore. The water drained easily from the boots, to her relief. A splash next to her told her that Link had also vacated the water. She opened her eyes tentatively.

"Alright, I can see again. Now, let's… what am I wearing?" Jen's previous outfit was gone, replaced instead with a purple hooded tunic with a similar white undershirt and chain mail, beige pants, and darker leather boots with a built-in shinguard. On her right arm was a bracer like Link's, engraved with the sheikah eye, and on her left was a heavy gauntlet. Hanging on her right side was a black leather bag strapped securely around her left shoulder and onto her black belt. Even her hair wasn't untouched, braided into a ponytail. She took it in with a stunned expression.

"Jesus, who's the gods' hairdresser?" she murmured as she felt the length of the braid along her head, as well as the free puff on top, "This is so good…"

"I didn't know you had Gerudo blood," came Link's voice. Jen looked up at him with a flat expression.

"Link, I'm not from this planet. We're past this," she corrected. Link flushed with embarrassment.

"Ah, right, um… sorry, I- uh," he stammered.

"I'm not offended, it's an easy mistake," Jen chuckled.

"You look my Hylian than I thought you would…" he admitted.

"Except for darker skin, hair, and short ears," she finished, showing Link the aforementioned features, "I got it from my mother's side. My dad looks Hylian for the most part, except for his ears. It would be like meeting another human ethnicity, except they have the exact same skin, hair, and eye color."

"So you're biracial?" Link asked with honest curiosity.

Jen nodded. "I don't know who my mother was and my dad won't tell, but I think my mother was either from West Africa or another really dark ethnicity. I mean, genetics is a scrambled grab-bag, but my dad is super pale and I'm way darker than he is, or any of my half-siblings. Also, my hair isn't straight like my dad's," she blinked, "Wait, why am I talking about this? It doesn't really matter. We're both human-shaped again, and it's getting late. We should head back to Ordon, let them know you're alright."

Link grinned, slightly sadly. "It'll be good to talk to Rusl and Uli again, even if I can't find their kids yet. If we go now, we can make it before everyone settles in for bed."

"Then we're off!" Jen replied, letting Link show the way back.

They walked for about five minutes before the Deku Baba, now de-shadowed, made a return appearance, biting at Link who deflected with his shield. Jen jumped away from the fight and let Link kill the plant monster. Once the creature dissolved into a few seeds and a rupee, Link turned back to her.

"Do you have a weapon? If not, I can ask Rusl if he has any spare swords or something," Link asked.

"I… yeah, I think so? Faron said I had a weapon forged from my spirit. I think I know what they're talking about. Um, let me see if I can't summon it," Jen called back. She sat down and relaxed into a meditating position.

She thought about the little weapon she created, and focused on the connection she had with the sword spirit. She took a few deep breaths to center herself and began to pull. She felt a solid weight materialize in her lap as Link's sharp intake of breath caused her to open her eyes.

She stood up, testing the weight and balance of her yari. After a few experimental swipes in the air, Jen decided that she felt more comfortable with her weapon in hand. The spear felt warm in her grasp, thrumming with life. She grinned.

"Link, this is my weapon, Chiku," she introduced, holding out the weapon to Link horizontally to the ground.

"Is this a polearm?" he asked as he took it, testing its weight and balance clumsily, "It doesn't fit you so well. I kinda expected you to have a battleaxe or something. You're always charging."

A sudden shock from Chiku caused Link to yelp and drop the spear. Jen calmly picked it up and twirled it expertly.

"I think she fits me just fine," she replied casually.

"It shocked me!" Link cried, shaking out his hand. Jen shrugged for the umpteenth time that day.

"She took offense to your comment and wanted to make sure you knew it. I named the yari "Chiku" because it means "She who speaks". She just spoke to you indirectly," Jen explained, "Also, the weapon spirit herself doesn't shut up. I'll introduce you more formally tonight."

"Your weapon is a person?" Link asked incredulously.

"There's multiple weapons who are people. The master sword has a spirit, you know. She's just been asleep for so long that people don't remember her," Jen mentioned as they began walking again, using Chiku as a walking stick.

"Are all weapons women? That's two female spirits you've mentioned," Link observed. Jen shook her head.

"No, but it so happens to be that the Goddesses find it easier to craft a weapon as female. I think there was a few male goddess-weapons, but they got killed in a war long, long ago. There was a male-crafted demon sword, named Ghirahim, though he was lost when the first Hero and the Master Sword, Fi, fought his master Demise. Incidentally, that first Hero was the one who started the Goddess Cycle," she explained.

"I think you're making some of that up," Link grumbled as he thought about it. Jen chuckled. The light was fast fading, though Chiku emitted a slight silver glow as the blade caught the last of the sun's rays.

"Remember what the spirit said? Goddess's acolytes taught me everything. And yes, my head hurt too. History is important, but it's so boring sometimes," she agreed, "I'll have to teach you some history at some point, may as well start now."

Link made such a defeated and agonized expression that Jen had to stop walking to laugh.


End file.
